98. Weight Stigma Awareness Week: Bias, Bodies, and Breaking the Cycle with Atheana Brown

This episode of Diet Culture Dropout dives into Weight Stigma Awareness Week (September 8th onward), unpacking the deep-seated anti-fat bias embedded in our culture and its real-world consequences. Did you know weight stigma has actually increased by 60% in North America since the 2000s, even as other forms of bias have declined?The conversation covers how weight stigma shows up everywhere: in healthcare dismissals, workplace "wellness challenges," school bullying (where weight-based teasing ranks as the most common form), and media tropes that reduce fat characters to punchlines. The host shares personal reflections from a parent council survey, TikTok discourse, and years of clinical experience as a weight-inclusive, HAES-aligned practitioner.Listeners are given practical tools: Harvard's free Implicit Association Test (IAT) to explore their own automatic biases, the documentary Your Fat Friend by Aubrey Gordon (now streaming on Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, and CBC Gem) as a powerful firsthand look at living in a fat body, and free virtual events from the Body Equity Alliance and Within Health. The episode closes with a compassionate reminder: awareness is the starting point, not the endpoint — and if weight stigma has affected your relationship with food, body, or healthcare, you deserve support from providers who see you as a whole person.Resources Mentioned:Weight Stigma Awareness WeekHarvard Implicit Association Test – Weight ('Fat–Thin') IAT:​​​A movie to add to your watch list: Aubrey Gordon's documentary, Your Fat Friend.✨Do you need personalized and inclusive nutrition support? Book a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠free 20 minute discovery call ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠with the Peacefully Nourished team today to get supported on healing your relationship with food + body.  ➡️ You can also join the monthly newsletter to keep yourself updated on the latest podcast episodes, freebies, workshops and food freedom tips. You can ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠join the community here!⁠⁠