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People of all sizes have internalized negative beliefs and attitudes about fat people, based on cultural beauty standards and those ideals thought of as markers of health, fat people carry the stigma of being fat everywhere they go (Seibert et al., 2015). This research study’s inquiry is as follows: what is the lived experience of fat people who are working toward—or are—fat accepting? To answer this question, the study utilized the theoretical foundations of critical theory, queer phenomenology, and heuristic inquiry and interviewed 12 co-researchers/participants about their lived experience of being fat and fat accepting. Five larger categories are explored with various themes under each: current experience of fat acceptance, current experience of non-fat acceptance, past experience of non-fat acceptance, embodiment, and miscellaneous. The potential of fat acceptance to lead to psychological well-being was seen with the 12 participants of this study. Fat acceptance was seen to be crucial to the participants’ lives; prior to such, being fat and the fear of fat was explained as part of a matrix of intersectional oppressions. Participants explored relief from struggling with the effects of weight stigmatization, connection to their bodies and feelings, less dissociation and social isolation, pursuing their dreams, advocating for equitable healthcare, and seeking support to live in a fat body without, or with less, internalized shame. The clinical implication of these potentiates should encourage future and current mental health professionals to examine their own internalized weight stigma and fatphobia.
Advisor: | Wilkinson, Tanya, Bersing, Doris |
Commitee: | |
School: | California Institute of Integral Studies |
Department: | Clinical Psychology |
School Location: | United States -- California |
Source: | DAI-A 82/6(E), Dissertation Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | LGBTQ studies, Sociology |
Keywords: | Body positive, Fat acceptance, Fatphobia, Queer phenomenology |
Publication Number: | 28261935 |
ISBN: | 9798557035453 |