If asked about the first time they remember feeling bad about themselves because of their weight, many people will point to an early childhood memory.

Weight bias can start as early as the playground or at a pediatrician’s appointment. It often happens with mocking, comical gestures and crude comments. And it hurts, deeply.

For Faith-Anne, the first time she remembers experiencing weight bias was elementary school. After being weighed in front of her peers by school nurses and then pulled aside and spoken to, Faith recalls it as the moment she first realized that others were going to make assumptions about her based solely on her body. She’s an adult PhD student now, but the effects of bias have stayed with her.

Fighting for a Better World

Earlier this year, the OAC launched a Stop Weight Bias Campaign and asked Faith, among others, to help us raise awareness of this issue with her story.

Faith’s vignette is featured below, but we also encourage you to read her complete story here on the campaign website. You might even be able to relate to the feelings and frustrations she captures so powerfully about weight bias.

If you feel compelled to take action and fight for a better world where people are treated with dignity and respect regardless of their size, the OAC encourages you to learn more about our Stop Weight Bias Campaign and click here to Be Part of the Solution.

Awareness is the key that opens the door to action. And if you’ve been affected by weight bias too, please consider sharing your story to help us enlighten others!