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Abstract
Weight stigma promotes stereotypes and bias against people who deviate from society’s (thin) ideal and is transmitted by stigma communication to protect non-stigmatized individuals and sanction stigmatized individuals. Prior research has demonstrated well the effects of weight bias on stigmatized peoples, referred to in this study as people with overweight/obese appearance (POA); however, research has yet to investigate the content of weight stigma messages and potential outcomes related to such communication for non-stigmatized individuals. This study examines memorable messages that individuals recall their parents telling them from childhood to understand what messages are transmitted to children, as well as and the potential influence on their weight-related attitudes and behaviors as adults. Using Amazon Mechanical Turk, 203 adults were surveyed and asked to recount a memorable time during their formative years where a parent(s) discussed another person’s weight or size in front of them. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, memorable weight stigma messages were sorted and analyzed. Qualitative results indicate that there are a variety of themes present in weight stigma messages, indicating that blame, dehumanization, and teaching and warning others are common when transmitting weight stigma messages. Quantitative results suggest that parents’ mark cues (statements about physical, stigmatized traits: e.g., “…can’t believe how heavy she is”; “…didn’t understand why…[she] was OK being so fat”) were utilized most often and were negatively associated with other cues in memorable weight stigma messages. Peril cues (statements about the perceived threat from stigmatized people) were exhibited the least, and a revised conceptualization of peril is argued for the context of weight stigma. Lastly, parents’ peril cues and responsibility cues (statements placing blame) relate to their adult children’s weight stigma attitudes, and parents’ mark cues related to their adult children’s weight anxiety. Implications suggest that 1) there are a variety of forms of weight stigma messages transmitted in the family, 2) cues vary in prevalence and likelihood of use in weight stigma messages, and 3) hearing and recalling weight stigma messages may relate to individuals’ weight-related cognitions, but with their behaviors. Index words: weight stigma, memorable messages, stigma communication, social identity theory, objectification