While the holidays are about joy and togetherness, spending time with family can be triggering to some people for a variety of reasons. The pervasive issue of weight stigma is one of them.
Family members are some of the most common sources of weight stigma reported by youth and adults with higher body weight, according to a study published in December 2022. This particular research goes on to look at the ways in which that stigma manifests from different people and how it adversely affects an individual’s relationship with their body.
Katelyn Baker, a clinical psychologist focused on body image and fat positivity, tells that there are a number of ways in which diet culture makes its way to a family’s holiday meal. The abundance of food during the holiday season plays a big part in eliciting judgmental comments.
These types of phrases may be indirect, but others are more direct and even aimed toward children.
Navigating the holidays in a plus-size body
Boundaries are an important part of preparing for an annual holiday gathering, who works with a number of clients to become more comfortable in and accepting of their bodies.
Because emotions can run high when one of these triggers surfaces, We suggests preparing responses ahead of time.
The psychologist also recommends finding a “safe space” wherever it is that you might be attending a holiday gathering.
At the end of the day, family settings are just an additional test to practice blocking out the noise of diet culture and weight stigma in a society that’s already bogged down by it.
