Timmermann, Josephine (2023) Different Weight-loss Discourses and their Effects on Fat People. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Fat stigma is highly prevalent and is still rising. Internalization of this stigma leads people to lose weight to deal with this stigma. This weight loss is talked about in different ways by them. Most weight loss discourses include stigmatizing messages, having potential dangerous outcomes on fat people’s well-being, which there is a lack of research on. This study investigated the effect of two discourses on psychological well-being and body-related variables. The health discourse (i.e., people losing weight for health reasons) was tested as a possible harmful approach, since it suggests stigmatizing messages around fat people (e.g., lazy stereotype, being responsible for their oppression, because losing weight is assumed to be “easily achievable”). Physically “not fitting in” (i.e., people losing weight because they cannot fit into places) was tested as a less harmful alternative due to it highlighting fat people’s daily struggles and weight loss to be for practical reasons. Hence, more positive effects of “not fitting in” on internalized stigma, body satisfaction, need to control weight, depressive symptoms and self-esteem were assumed. We ran an experimental study including three groups, the two approaches and control condition. Each group was given one of the three different texts of a celebrity talking about her weight loss. The sample consisted of 298 American females, who fall under the “obese” category in the BMI. All results were found to be nonsignificant. More research is needed with a different study design to draw conclusions, especially for “not fitting in” as a weight loss discourse.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Koc, Y. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Apr 2023 12:05 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Apr 2023 12:05 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/1900 |
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