The 11th Annual Weight Stigma Conference: From Weight Stigma to Size and Weight Inclusiveness and Liberation

The 11th Annual International Weight Stigma Conference was held at Griffith University Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia and online between July 6-7th 2025. To highlight this event, Frontiers in Psychiatry is collaborating to spotlight important themes from the conference in this Research Topic. The Research Topic is open to authors who address the topic theme and is not restricted to those who presented at the conference. Weight stigma is a pervasive issue that undermines physical, mental, financial, political, and social wellbeing. Rooted in societal norms and medical paradigms that marginalize, pathologize, and vilify larger bodies, weight stigma contributes to discrimination, reduced access to care, and results in poorer health outcomes, particularly for those with the largest bodies. Despite growing evidence challenging weight-centric approaches, weight bias remains entrenched in all sectors of society including health systems, policy, and education. In contrast, weight inclusiveness and liberation frameworks advocate for changes to systems and structures to enhance respect, dignity, and equitable access to conditions of living for people of all sizes. These paradigms align with broader movements for social justice and equity, offering transformative potential. Recent advances in critical weight studies, fat studies, and intersectional approaches to body politics provide fertile ground for reimagining systems and structures that support and serve diverse bodies and reduce inequities for people with larger bodies.This Research Topic aims to critically examine actions to reduce weight stigma and enhance weight inclusiveness and liberation. The goal is to challenge dominant weight-centric narratives and explore alternative frameworks that promote equity, respect, and autonomy. We seek to highlight research, practice innovations, and theoretical contributions that foster dialogue and action to liberate people from weight stigma and create more size and weight inclusive societies. We invite contributions that explore actions to address weight stigma, and size and weight inclusion across diverse contexts, disciplines, and populations. Topics may include:• Community led or participatory approaches with people with lived experience of weight stigma to enhance size and weight inclusion• Strategies to reduce weight stigma • Strategies to enhance size and weight inclusion • Educational reform for size and weight inclusion• Advocacy for size and weight inclusion • Legal and human rights approaches to size and weight inclusion• Policy analysis of size and weight inclusion • Economic analysis of impact of size and weight inclusion • Historical analysis of size and weight inclusion• Media representation of size and weight inclusion• Intersectionality in size and weight inclusion• Ethical and respectful research in size and weight inclusion• Any other topic that addresses the goal of the Research TopicWe welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, theoretical papers, case studies, and perspectives. Interdisciplinary and community-engaged scholarship is especially encouraged. All submissions should align with principles of equity, inclusiveness, and respect for body diversity, and attend to the recommendations for language. We encourage authors submitting manuscripts to this Research Topic to adopt the principle of using language that affirms respect and human dignity of people in all sized bodies including those with larger bodies. Authors are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the articles by Meadows and Daníelsdóttir (2016) What’s in a Word? On weight stigma and terminology, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01527, and Fox et al. (2021) Working toward eradicating weight stigma by combating pathologization https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12717 for guidelines on size and weight-inclusive language. Meadows and Daníelsdóttir suggest that terms such as ‘weight’ and ‘higher weight’ are likely to be “suitable in the majority of situations” (p. 3). Fox et al. state that it is not possible “to simultaneously pathologize and destigmatize fat people” (p.3). As such, authors for this Research Topic are advised that the use of pathologizing labels such as overw*ight and ob*se are discouraged.Dr. Fiona Willer provides academic education and professional training in weight science and weight inclusive care through her business Health, Not Diets. The other Topic Editors have no competing interests relating to the Research Topic subject matter. Topic editors: Lily O'Hara, Patricia Cain, Jessica Lee, Fiona Willer Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/73298/the-11th-annual-weight-stigma-conference-from-weight-stigma-to-size-and-weight-inclusiveness-and-liberation