Gendered fatphobia in the field of sport and exercise

Research has well established that fatness is a strongly stigmatizing characteristic and fatphobia is prevalent in society. The so-called fat stigma means that there are negative stereotypes and prejudices concerning fatness and fat people and as a result, fat people are mistreated and discriminated against in all central spheres of life. The field of sport and exercise is no exception. For people with non-normatively sized bodies, exercising can present a variety of challenges, including of a physical, social and psychological nature. In fact, fat people seem to pose a challenge to the field of sport and exercise. Research has shown that fat people, and fat women in particular, are often met with prejudice and that their needs as exercisers are overlooked. In this article, gendered fatphobia and fat women’s experiences of exercise, and some ways by which they are socially and culturally excluded from exercise are examined.