Butterfly Foundation combats weight-based discrimination at Australia’s first Weight Stigma Conference
Over 3.1 million people in Australia have experienced appearance-based discrimination, with 49% on the basis of their weight; costing the economy billions and limiting millions of people from fully engaging in life.
Butterfly Foundation, Australia’s national charity for eating disorders and body image concerns, is advocating for more inclusive, weight-neutral messaging and public health policies at the upcoming Weight Stigma Conference on the Gold Coast, 6-7 July 2025.
KPMG’s recent ‘The Real Cost of Appearance Ideals and Discrimination’ report, commissioned by Butterfly Foundation, revealed over 3.1 million people in Australia have experienced appearance-based discrimination, with 49% of this occurring on the basis of weight[1].
“Weight-based discrimination costs Australia $27.6 billion a year, but the personal impacts are just as great – with increased likelihood of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, smoking, and alcohol and drug use,” said Butterfly Lived Experience Manager, Kate Mulray.
“Stigmatising messaging and discourse that frames weight as a personal choice contributes to weight-based discrimination and can be highly triggering for people living with or at risk of developing an eating disorder, and Butterfly is calling upon government and other decision-makers to consult appropriately with eating disorder and body image experts before developing health promotion campaigns.”
Butterfly Ambassador and body acceptance advocate April Hélène-Horton is also attending the Conference and is determined to address weight stigma as a systemic issue.
“Time and time again we see simplistic messaging, such as ‘eat less’ and ‘move more’ throughout public health campaigns. It’s often accompanied by stigmatising imagery of people in larger bodies and language that incites shame, positioning weight as a personal moral failing,” she said. “Weight stigma is embedded in dangerous diet culture. This isn’t improving health – it’s causing harm.”
Research demonstrates that positioning body weight as a personal choice does not result in increased health behaviours and instead perpetuates harmful weight stigma[2]. People who experience weight stigma are more likely to avoid seeking and engaging in medical care, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, engage in disordered eating, and experience higher levels of body dissatisfaction and psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, stress, feelings of worthlessness and loneliness and suicidal ideation.[3]
“It’s devastating to see your body size positioned as ‘wrong’, particularly when you’ve spent what feels like a lifetime unlearning society’s harmful, unrealistic beliefs about appearance and weight. Health can exist in a variety of body sizes, and having experienced first-hand the harms of weight stigma, I’m proud to join Butterfly in advocating for a more inclusive society, where people of any weight and size can engage fully in the joys of life and receive the appropriate, compassionate and inclusive healthcare they deserve,” said April.
Butterfly and April will connect with experts, researchers and people with lived experience at Australia-first Weight Stigma Conference, to better understand the real-world impacts of weight stigma and discrimination, and advocate for more inclusive, weight-neutral society.
Lived Experience Manager Kate emphasised the importance of addressing weight stigma at all levels to reduce the prevalence of eating disorders, which has increased by 21% since 2012[4].
“To achieve Butterfly’s vision of an Australia free of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction, we must reduce weight-based discrimination – people living in larger bodies make up an estimated half of all people in Australia living with eating disorders[5], but they are consistently left behind due to outdated stereotypes that you need to look a certain way to experience these life-threatening mental illnesses,” she said.
“By engaging with the Weight Stigma Conference, we’re taking a powerful stand against this discrimination in all forms and are urging government, experts and society to follow suit.”
The 11th annual Weight Stigma Conference will be held from 6-7 July 2025 at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. It will bring together local and international experts, scholars and practitioners from a wide variety of disciplines, including psychology, public health and policy, government, medicine, business, and law to discuss how research, policy, rhetoric and practice can address the issues of weight stigma.
Presentations will explore weight-based medical bias, barriers to care, and how fatphobia is influenced by racism and classism, as well as offering insights and guidance for healthcare professionals and policy makers on how they can unlearn bias, rebuild trust and make their practices and policies more weight-inclusive.
-ENDS-
Media Contact:
Zoe Bradbury – Butterfly Communications Manager
Ph: 0400 585 855
E: zoe.bradbury@butterfly.org.au
About Butterfly Foundation
Butterfly is the national charity for all Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, and for the families, friends and communities who support them. Butterfly changes lives by providing innovative, evidence-based support services, treatment and resources, prevention and early intervention programs, and by advocating for the needs of our community.
Editor and producers note:
Please include the following support line details in all media coverage of this story and refer to the Mindframe Media Guidelines for safe reporting on eating disorders. Please include the following helpline message.
Help and Support
Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:
- Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or visit butterfly.org.au to chat online or email, 7 days a week, 8am-midnight (AEST/AEDT).
- Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23
- For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14
References
[1] https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25.02.07_Butterfly-Foundation-Appearance-Ideals-Report-Final.pdf
[2] https://www.phrp.com.au/issues/october-2022-volume-32-issue-3/weight-stigma-in-australia/
[3] National Eating Disorder Collaboration, n.d https://nedc.com.au/eating-disorders/eating-disorders-explained/weight-stigma
[4] Butterfly Foundation, Paying the Price 2024 https://butterfly.org.au/who-we-are/research-policy-publications/payingtheprice2024/
[5] https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-022-00622-w
