Identifying as fat: Examining weight discrimination and the rejection-identification model

•We applied the rejection-identification model to weight discrimination in US adults.•N = 739 adults reported on their weight discrimination, fat identity, and well-being.•Discrimination was related positively to fat identity and negatively to well-being.•Fat identity was positively related to suppo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Body image 2022-06, Vol.41, p.46-51
Main Authors: Wellman, Joseph D., Araiza, Ashley M., Nguyen, Tuong-Vy C., Beam, Adam J., Pal, Sukhmani
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Body affirmation
Fat identity
Rejection-identification model
Weight discrimination
Well-being
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Summary:•We applied the rejection-identification model to weight discrimination in US adults.•N = 739 adults reported on their weight discrimination, fat identity, and well-being.•Discrimination was related positively to fat identity and negatively to well-being.•Fat identity was positively related to support for weight-related social change.•Results were inconsistent with the rejection-identification model. Discrimination towards fat individuals is pervasive in the United States, and perceptions of weight discrimination are associated with poor physical and mental health outcomes (e.g., low well-being). The rejection-identification model theorizes that perceptions of group-based discrimination may lead people to identify with their stigmatized group, subsequently helping them maintain well-being. We applied the rejection-identification model to weight discrimination to understand whether positively identifying as fat may mediate the impact of perceived weight-group discrimination on well-being. Across two samples (N = 739), fat-group identification, ingroup affiliation, and body affirmation were tested as mediators of the association between perceived weight discrimination and well-being. We also examined support for weight-related social change. Results showed that fat identification was a significant mediator, associated positively with discrimination but negatively with well-being; fat identification also was positively associated with greater support for weight-related social change. Body affirmation was a significant mediator of well-being and support for weight-related social change. Identifying as fat does not seem to provide the same benefits to well-being observed for other social identities (e.g., ethnicity); perceiving one’s own body positively, however, may be a potential pathway through which weight discrimination’s consequences can be reduced. Implications for well-being, identity, and the rejection-identification model are discussed.
ISSN:1740-1445
1873-6807
DOI:10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.02.008