What Is Internalised Weight Stigma — And How It Might Be Showing Up In Our Lives

Consider the stereotypes often associated with a larger body.
Now consider the stereotypes often attached to a smaller body.

Maybe you came up with things like lazy or greedy, and then disciplined or successful.

A gentle reminder: these are stereotypes, not truths, and they are highly problematic.

What Is Internalised Weight Stigma?

Internalised weight stigma (IWS) describes what happens when the problematic stereotypes and messages our culture spreads about body size are internalised. Researchers define it as accepting negative weight-based stereotypes as true and applying them to ourselves (Meadows & Higgs, 2019). Over time, these beliefs can shape how we relate to food, movement and even our sense of self, often without us realising.

IWS can apply to people living in all body sizes. Anyone can internalise stereotypes and the idea that certain bodies are “better” or more deserving of respect. These ideas can seep in, shaping how we evaluate our own bodies — whether that looks like striving to stay small, fearing change, or feeling our worth depends on looking a certain way.

Sometimes internalised weight stigma is subtle. It hides behind the language of “health”, “discipline” or “self-care”. It can show up in the stories we tell ourselves about what it means to be “good”, “in control” or “doing well”.

We begin to evaluate our worth, effort and even our goodness through the lens of those inherited ideals. We might find ourselves worrying that eating to satisfaction is “overdoing it”, or that resting means we’re being “lazy”. We might feel uneasy when our body changes, not because anything is wrong, but because we’ve been taught to associate certain shapes with failure and others with success.

Over time, these messages can become so embedded that they start to feel like our own thoughts rather than something we’ve been conditioned to believe. They can show up in quiet moments: a flicker of guilt after a meal, a sense of pride when our stomach feels empty, or discomfort at seeing a different reflection in the mirror.

But these reactions aren’t signs of personal weakness or vanity. They’re the residue of a culture that moralises food, body size and self-control. Recognising them for what they are — learned stories, not truths — is often the first step towards loosening their hold.

“Feeling fat”

Sometimes this shows up in the language of “feeling fat.”
“Fat” is not a feeling, but often what we mean is “I feel uncomfortable”, “I feel vulnerable”, “I feel undeserving” or “I fear being judged”. These sensations are real, but they’re emotional, not physical. They often arise because we’ve been taught to associate certain behaviours, like eating, resting or taking up space, with shame. Naming what’s really underneath can help us meet those feelings with understanding instead of self-criticism.

Where It Comes From

At its root, IWS grows out of diet culture, a belief system that moralises food and body size, praises thinness and pathologises weight gain. These messages are reinforced everywhere: in the media, in healthcare and within families and friendship groups.

Recent research also shows IWS doesn’t affect everyone equally. Demographic and social factors such as gender, socioeconomic background and experiences of marginalisation can increase vulnerability. For example, women, sexual minorities and those facing economic disadvantage appear to be at greater risk (Hughes et al., 2024). This may be because those already navigating other forms of stigma or social pressure experience more scrutiny around their bodies, and fewer buffers such as representation or acceptance to protect against internalising those messages. In other words, when belonging feels conditional, it can be easier to absorb the belief that our bodies need to change to be accepted.

Over time, these pressures become part of how we measure ourselves. IWS isn’t just about dissatisfaction with appearance — it carries a heavy dose of self-blame (Meadows & Higgs, 2019). We may come to see our bodies as personal failings, rather than reflections of biology, genetics, socioeconomic factors, environment and lived experience.

Why It Matters

Internalised weight stigma is more than low body confidence; it’s a form of chronic stress that can affect our emotional and physical wellbeing.

Research shows IWS is linked with higher levels of anxiety, depression, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction (Pearl & Puhl, 2018). It can also lead to social withdrawal, self-criticism and avoidance of healthcare.

These effects are not caused by weight itself, but by the chronic stress and shame of stigma (Hunger & Major, 2020). Even if we haven’t experienced overt discrimination, we can still carry its impact quietly within us.

Unpacking Those Beliefs

As therapist and artist Ashlee Bennett, author of The Art of Body Acceptance (2021), reminds us, beliefs rooted in IWS are based on stereotypes, not facts. They lack nuance, context and compassion.

She invites us to gently question these internalised stories:

“Is the story I’m telling myself right now based on a fat stereotype?”
“How could what I’m believing about myself be seen from another perspective?”
“Is it true that all thin people are disciplined?”
“What are all the factors that actually determine someone’s body size?”
“Could I be simplifying this too much?”
“Can I recall times I’ve shown strength or discipline in other areas of my life?”

By approaching these questions with curiosity rather than judgement, we can start loosening the grip of those old beliefs. It’s not about denying our feelings, but about recognising that the shame we carry often belongs to the culture, not to us.

Moving Forward with Compassion

Recognising internalised weight stigma isn’t about blame; it’s about awareness.
Once we name it, we can begin to notice how it shows up in our thoughts, choices and self-talk.

We can start to reduce criticism and enhance self-compassion, moving from measuring our self-worth by body size to living in alignment with our true values.

Recovery — whether from an eating disorder, chronic dieting or a lifetime of body comparison — often involves unlearning. And part of that unlearning is remembering that our bodies have always deserved kindness, respect and rest.

We are, and always have been, so much more than a stereotype.

References:

• Bennett, A. (2021). The Art of Body Acceptance. Hachette.

• Hunger, J. M. & Major, B. (2020). Weight stigma mediates the association between BMI and self-reported health. Health Psychology, 39(6), 473–481.

• Meadows, A. & Higgs, S. (2019). Internalised weight stigma: An important factor in weight-related health. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 572. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00572

• Huang, P.C. et al. (2024). Internalized weight stigma and psychological distress mediate the relationship between perceived weight stigma and binge eating. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12, 112. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-024-01112-x

• Pearl, R. L. & Puhl, R. M. (2018). Weight bias internalisation and health: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 19(8), 1141–1163. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12729

• Puhl, R. M. & Suh, Y. (2015). Stigma and eating and weight disorders. Current Psychiatry Reports, 17(3), 552. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-014-0552-6

• Hughes, A. M. M. et al. (2024). Demographic, socioeconomic and life-course risk factors for internalised weight stigma in adulthood: evidence from an English birth cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, 40, 100895. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100895