Research

Weight Stigma 

Experiencing teasing, bullying, or being treated differently because of one's weight (AKA weight stigma) impacts how they feel about themselves and the world around them. Through our research in the WETSL lab, we aim to better understand how and why these experiences negativel effect people's physical and mental health. Specifically, we've studied how, when, and why weight stigma impacts one's overall health, sleep, eating patterns, and substance use.

Intersectionality

Intersectional perspectives allow us to consider how people's identities impact their experiences of power and oppression. In the WETSL lab, we examine how identities such as race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability status may all uniquely and simultaneously impact one's experiences with weight stigma. People's experiences with and reactions to weight stigma often vary depending on one's cultural background, other life experiences, and other stigmatized identities. We find that across identities, people often report similar amounts of weight stigma, but the specific experiences and results of weight stigma can vary greatly.