Vulnerability and resilience to the harmful health consequences of weight discrimination in Black, Latina, and sexual minority women

Background and objective: Because they deviate from societal expectations regarding thinness, women with high body weight or large body size frequently experience social devaluation and discrimination and such experiences can negatively affect health. Yet relatively little is known about experiences of weight discrimination among people impacted by overlapping forms of oppression such as racism, sexism, and heterosexism or how high body weight may intersect with other marginalized identities to contribute to health disparities. Guided by an intersectional lens, the purpose of the current study was to assess Black, Latina, and sexual minority women's experiences with weight discrimination and to identify factors associated with vulnerability or resilience to the harmful health consequences of weight discrimination in these women.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty-two cisgender women from the United States who identified as Black, Latina, and/or a sexual minority (e.g., lesbian, bisexual) to assess their experiences with and responses to weight discrimination. All participants had a body mass index ≥30 kg/m² and had previously experienced weight discrimination. Data collection took place from June to August of 2020.

Results: Five factors associated with vulnerability or resilience to experiencing or being negatively affected by weight discrimination were identified: 1) sociocultural norms about weight and perceived acceptance of high body weight, 2) perceived links among weight, perceived femininity, and attractiveness, 3) childhood experiences, 4) internalized weight stigma, and 5) coping strategies. The intersectional nature of women's experiences with weight discrimination was apparent in each theme.

Conclusions: This study identified key factors that may amplify or mitigate the negative health consequences of weight discrimination in socially marginalized women with high body weight. Findings highlight novel research questions to be explored in future research. Such research will be critical for guiding future interventions aimed at reducing the harmful health consequences of weight discrimination.