From Weight Stigma to Weight Inclusiveness and Liberation: Highlights from the 11th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference 

In this blog, Butterfly’s Lived Experience Manager Kate Mulray shares research and insights from the International Weight Stigma Conference.

The 11th International Weight Stigma Conference, held at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, was an emotionally charged and thought-provoking event. I was proud to attend as the Lived Experience Manager at Butterfly Foundation and as someone with lived experience in the eating disorder space. 

While I live in a mid-size body—not a larger body—I acknowledge the privilege this affords me in a society that discriminates so heavily based on size. I recognise that my experience of weight stigma is not the same as those in larger bodies, and I see it as both my responsibility and ongoing commitment to listen deeply, reflect honestly, and amplify the voices of those most impacted. These are the voices that must lead the conversation and be centred in every space where change is being pursued. 

A note of acknowledgment: Throughout this blog, you may see reference to the term “obesity.” While it continues to be used in medical and academic settings, I recognise that this term is deeply pathologising, medicalised, and often violent for those living in larger bodies. Its use here reflects the language embedded in the literature discussed at the conference—not an endorsement. This also extends to references to BMI categories, which are outdated, racially biased, and poor measures of health. I encourage readers to approach such terminology with critical awareness and caution. 

We know that weight stigma is pervasive in society—but this conference took us even deeper. It challenged scientific fallacies, dismantled dominant narratives, and exposed the powerful systems propping up weight-based oppression. The message was clear: weight stigma is not just a personal bias; it is systemic, structural, and fuelled by multi-billion-dollar industries that benefit from pathologising bodies. 

I left feeling heartbroken, hopeful, furious, inspired—and more determined than ever to help drive change alongside those with lived experience at the forefront. 

Reframing the Conversation on Health 

In her keynote, “Plus ça change: The science we need for the future we want”, Dr Angela Meadows, founder of the conference, reminded us that while there has been a groundswell of critique against the “war on obesity,” we are still fighting the same institutional battles. Her presentation drew from extensive research showing no excess mortality risk for people in the “overweight” BMI category. Studies following over 90,000 women (McTigue et al., 2006), over 9,000 women over 11 years (Farrell et al., 2002), older men (Yates et al., 2008), and almost 170,000 adults in China (Gu et al., 2006) all found no increased risk—or even lower mortality—compared to the so-called “normal” weight category. These were only a few of the many studies she referred to that came to the same conclusion. 

Angela highlighted that it is more realistic to pursue a healthy lifestyle than to become and stay thin. True barriers to health include low self-worth, stigma, and pressure to lose weight. Weight fluctuations and intentional weight loss are consistently linked to worse outcomes—including increased risks of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. 

She also shared data showing that discrimination—not body size—is often the key determinant of poor health. After 9/11, Arabic-named women in California had significantly worse birth outcomes. After Massachusetts legalised same-sex marriage, gay and bisexual men saw a drop in depression, hypertension, and healthcare use. Meanwhile, LGB adults in states that banned same-sex marriage saw major spikes in anxiety, mood disorders, and substance use. The takeaway? Stigma and systemic bias drive health inequities. 

Weight Stigma as a Corporate Strategy 

Keynote speaker Louise Adams gave a powerful talk on how pharmaceutical companies like Novo Nordisk have co-opted weight stigma discourse. They’ve shaped treatment guidelines, public messaging, and even the definition of weight stigma itself—framing weight loss as health while claiming to fight stigma. 

In 2023, Novo Nordisk had partnered with over 25 global organisations, including Obesity Canada and Obesity UK. Dr Bolette Friderichsen of the Danish Society of General Medicine said it best: “There is no doubt that the discussion about obesity in recent years has been orchestrated by Novo Nordisk.” 

Louise also highlighted the often-ignored physical toll of weight cycling. Repeated dieting can lead to increased visceral fat, reduced muscle, slowed metabolism, inflammation, and higher cardiovascular risk (Dulloo et al., 2015; Li & Chen, 2023; Rhee, 2017). Dieting, promoted in the name of health, often causes more harm than good. 

Her message: resist co-option, call out harmful messaging, and reclaim weight stigma’s roots in fat liberation. Or, as the Fat Underground declared in 1973: “A diet is a cure that doesn’t work for a disease that doesn’t exist.” 

Reproductive Justice and the Policing of Fat Bodies 

Dr George Parker explored how weight stigma intersects with reproductive justice. In Aotearoa New Zealand, access to publicly funded fertility care is restricted to those with a BMI under 32—excluding nearly 40% of Māori and Pacific women. They called it a ‘racist and eugenic agenda’.  

Fat reproductive bodies are framed as threats and denied autonomy and care. Dr Parker called for decolonising reproductive healthcare, centring Indigenous knowledge, and adopting universal design grounded in cultural humility. 

Preventing Harm Through Weight-Inclusive Education 

Educators from the University of Vermont shared a weight-inclusive high school nutrition curriculum that challenges diet culture, promotes media literacy, and supports trauma-informed education. Traditional nutrition education often reinforces weight stigma and disordered eating. This model offers a much-needed alternative. 

Unlearning Bias in Healthcare 

Dr Fiona Willer’s keynote, “Unlearning Bias, Rebuilding Trust,” addressed clinician bias and systemic failures. She showed that stigma—not weight—is responsible for care avoidance and misdiagnoses. Fatness is too often used as a scapegoat. 

Her call: shift toward ethical, person-centred, weight-inclusive care. From writing reviews to influencing policy, everyone has a role to play in creating healthcare that truly serves. 

Additional Insights 

Powerful presentations not covered in full here explored needle equity in vaccination, the performativity of stigmatising speech, intersectional fatphobia, dating as a plus-size woman, and stigma-reduction strategies in healthcare. 

Together, they underscored how weight stigma infiltrates every domain—health, education, relationships—and the importance of trauma-informed, culturally grounded approaches. 

The Power of Lived Experience 

Throughout the conference, the most powerful moments came from lived experience. Melissa Hawkins shared how powerful it felt to be seen and heard as a lived experience advocate. It was a reminder of why I do this work—and why it matters. 

Lived experience must not be a tick box. It must be the foundation of any effort to transform systems and challenge stigma. 

Intersectionality at the Forefront 

This year’s conference showed that addressing weight stigma means confronting how it intersects with race, gender, disability, class, and more. Every session reflected this lens. It’s a commitment we must all make: to centre those most marginalised and build movements rooted in equity. 

Final Thoughts

This conference was a reminder of both how far we’ve come—and how far we still need to go. Weight stigma is embedded in our institutions, but it is not inevitable. With truth-telling, advocacy, and the power of community, it can be dismantled. 

I left with more than notes and research—I left with renewed clarity, fierce hope, and deep solidarity. There is so much strength in lived experience stories, and so much wisdom in the communities who have been forced to resist for generations. 

To everyone fighting this fight: thank you. Let’s keep listening, challenging, pushing, and creating. Because our bodies are not the problem—stigma is. And together, we are building a future where every person is treated with dignity, compassion, and care. 

Thank you to Lily O’Hara for your tireless work in bringing this global community together and making this conference possible. 

 

In solidarity,
Kate Mulray, Butterfly’s Lived Experience Manager

 

Related Resources  

• Health Not Diets – Dr Fiona Willer’s resources and training for health professionals on weight-inclusive care:
  https://www.healthnotdiets.com 

• Weight Inclusive Nutrition Curriculum – University of Vermont’s high school program that promotes a trauma-informed, weight-inclusive approach:
  Weight-Inclusive Nutrition (WIN) Research Group  

• All Fired Up Podcast – Louise Adams’ podcast unpacking weight stigma, diet culture, and fat liberation:
  https://untrapped.com.au/podcast/  

• Butterfly Foundation’s Weight Stigma Page – Information and tools for understanding and addressing weight stigma:
  Weight Stigma – Butterfly Foundation  

• Weight and Wisdom with editors and authors – https://weightandwisdom.com/home