Beyond body size: Gender specific associations between self-perceived body shape and experienced and internalized weight stigma

Abstract

This study investigated cross-sectional associations between self-perceived body shape and weight stigma in young adult women and men. College students (N = 555 women, N = 252 men) at a large Southern U.S. university completed an online questionnaire assessing self-perceived body shape, internalized weight stigma, and experienced weight stigma. Participants were grouped based on their self-perceived body shape as underweight, average weight, excess adiposity-gluteofemoral (GF), or excess adiposity-abdominal (AB). In women, the AB group reported the greatest experienced (p’s ⩽ 0.048) and internalized (p’s ⩽ 0.013) weight stigma. Conversely, in men, the AB group did not display elevated weight stigma compared to all other groups (p’s ⩾ 0.484). Women with excess adiposity and greater abdominal fat distribution may face a higher burden of weight stigma – both experienced and internalized. Future weight stigma research and intervention efforts should consider the nuances of body shape/fat distribution over body size alone.

Keywords

body shape internalized weight stigma experienced weight stigma fat distribution abdominal

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