Healthism and the experiences of social, healthcare and self-stigma of women with higher weight

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Author
Jiménez-Loaisa, Alejandro
Beltrán-Carrillo, Vincente
González-Futre, David
Jennings, George
Date
2019-08-19Acceptance date
2019-06-10
Type
Article
Publisher
Springer Nature
ISSN
1477-822X
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This study analyses how the discourse of healthism contributes to the social construction of weight stigma in women with higher-weight. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine women who had undergone bariatric surgery and had lived with higher-weight during many years. A thematic analysis from a latent and constructionist perspective showed how the discourse of healthism was behind the experiences of stigma lived by the participants in the social and healthcare field. Even instances of self-stigma were found in our data. This study also illustrates how people influenced by healthism assumed individualism and the importance of body shape, core values of neoliberal consumer societies. In this way, people tended to blame women with higher-weight for their weight and to discriminate against for being far from the socially established ideal body. The findings can be useful to prevent weight stigmatization and to promote more appropriate and respectful strategies for obesity prevention and treatment.
Journal/conference proceeding
Social Theory & Health;
Citation
Jiménez-Loaiza, A., Beltrán-Carrillo, V., González-Cutre, D. & Jennings, G. (2019) 'Healthism and the experiences of social, healthcare and self-stigma of women with higher weight', Social Theory & Health. DOI: 10.1057/s41285-019-00118-9
Description
Article published in Social Theory & Health on 9 August 2019 (online), available at: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41285-019-00118-9.
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
This study was supported by the Fundation MAPFRE and the Escuela de Estudios Universitarios Real Madrid - Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM2.11X). Alejandro Jiménez-Loaisa was supported by the Valencian Council of Education, Research, Culture and Sports with reference ACIF/2017/155
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- Sport Research Groups [1088]
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