Recently, a multidisciplinary creative, Alexandra Obochi, sparked a much-needed conversation on fatphobia.
In a video she posted online as a submission for GTCO fashion week, Alexandra called out the Nigerian fashion industry for failing to include equal representation for plus-sized models.
The video was met with outrage, with people accusing her of being entitled because, according to them, she didn’t possess the charisma of a model. Other people outrightly bullied her, stating that she wanted the same opportunity someone who “worked to lose weight” earned. Finally, we had the well-informed few who applauded Alexandra’s courage in addressing the deep roots of fatphobia and encouraged us to confront our bias.
Fatphobia is the irrational fear, dislike, or discrimination against people who are fat or perceived as overweight. It manifests in various forms, including social stigma, negative stereotypes, and systemic discrimination in areas such as healthcare, employment, media representation, and everyday interactions. It reinforces the idea that thinness is the ideal standard of beauty, health, and success, leading to the marginalization and mistreatment of individuals with larger bodies.
Fatphobia is deeply rooted in societal norms that equate worth with appearance, often resulting in shame, exclusion, and harmful consequences for those affected. These days, all you need is a social media account to see how diet and weight loss culture push the message that being plus-sized is a fault that needs to be fixed and simply existing isn’t enough.
In this article, we examine common instances of how fatphobia insidiously manifests in the present day.
The medical industry regularly risks larger-bodied people’s health by refusing to take health issues seriously.
Many plus-sized people have reported their reluctance to go to hospitals because their doctor’s answer to every medical concern is, “Go and lose weight.” Medical professionals often push weight loss as the only solution without considering or addressing the underlying medical issue.
They ignore factors like genetics, medication, and metabolic conditions and work with the assumption that plus-sized patients are sedentary and have poor diets. Worse, some even go as far as using shaming and humiliating language, which can discourage larger-sized patients from seeking further medical care.
Even though the average Nigerian woman is a size 10, clothing retailers refuse to cater to plus-size bodies
Although the average Nigerian woman is a size 10, clothing retailers largely cater to smaller body sizes, excluding many women from finding well-fitting, fashionable clothing. As a result, plus-size women are left with limited options, which can affect their self-image and reinforce fatphobic beauty standards.
This exclusionary practice denies several Nigerian women access to diverse fashion choices and comfort in their everyday wear. I think the worst thing about fatphobic beauty standards is how ready-to-wear designers attach an extra fee to plus-size clothes or use size zero models to advertise dresses on the premise that if they use plus-size models, their budget will be drained as more yards of fabric will be needed to make the dress.
What a silly argument! How many extra yards of fabric will it take for a significant percentage of potential customers to see how the clothes you make will look on them?
Aggression on public transport and planes
Aggression toward plus-sized people on public transport and planes is a common yet often overlooked form of fatphobia. These passengers frequently face hostile stares, rude comments, and even outright confrontations from fellow travellers who believe that fat bodies take up too much space.
On airplanes, where seats are notoriously cramped, heavier individuals may be subjected to demands to purchase an extra seat or are blamed for other passengers’ discomfort, reinforcing the narrative that their bodies are inconvenient to others. This aggression contributes to a culture of shame and exclusion, making fat people feel unwelcome and unsafe in public spaces designed without their needs in mind.
Unsolicited weight loss advice
Stop offering plus-sized women remedies, workouts, diet plans, or treatments for weight loss— I promise you: 1) They probably know about all these remedies you are parroting to them 2) Not everyone cares about being skinny 3) A slim stature does not always mean a healthy body.
Plus-sized women get a massive amount of comments on how their fatness means they are inactive, that they eat poorly, that they are unhealthy, or how they will look “prettier if they lose some weight”. Another one that grinds my ears is the back-handed compliments: “You’re so confident” or “You’re pretty for a fat girl”.
It must be so exhausting for people (strangers, family, or friends) to turn your body into an ongoing debate for desirability politics, anywhere and at any time. Some people even go as far as non-consensually touching a heavier woman’s arm, stomach, or face to drive home their silly point.
If you’re guilty of this, please stop it.
Lack of representation in the media
The lack of representation of plus-sized people in the media, coupled with the idolization of thinness, perpetuates harmful fatphobic narratives. Take a minute to reflect on this: how many movies have you seen this year with a full-bodied woman playing the lead role?
In movies, television, and advertising, thin bodies are glorified as the ideal, while thicker bodies are often marginalized, tokenized, or portrayed negatively as lazy, unattractive, or comedic. Personally, I have seen many movies where the plus-sized side character was a better actress than the thinner main character. This lack of positive, diverse representations of bigger women reinforces the idea that they aren’t worthy of the spotlight and success, especially when compared to their thinner counterparts.
The ripple effect of this lack of representation in media is that younger plus-sized audiences are left without role models who reflect their experiences, further increasing societal pressure to conform to unrealistic body standards and contributing to widespread body dysmorphia.
Simply put, we need more size-diverse women as the lead female who attracts the hot male protagonist. We need more plus-sized women playing the CIA agent on an impossible mission. We need a curvier Disney princess. And please, when we do eventually get this, we do not want her story to revolve around her weight. We want her to simply exist as a person—something season 3 of Bridgerton did right for our girl, Penelope Featherington.
Work and employment discrimination
Studies have shown that larger-bodied people often face discrimination in the workplace, where their bodies are unfairly judged as a reflection of their competence or professionalism.
Employers may assume that plus-sized employees are less capable, less disciplined, or even less healthy, leading to biased hiring practices, lower wages, or fewer promotion opportunities. This fatphobia can manifest subtly through negative comments, exclusion from professional opportunities, or even more overt actions, such as being passed over for client-facing roles.
Such discrimination not only plus-sized employees’ career growth but also perpetuates a toxic work environment where one’s value is tied to physical appearance rather than skills, dedication, or expertise.
