Stigma to liberation: fat leadership through Freire’s critical consciousness

Weight stigma in Western societies has deep roots, shaped by intersecting racial, religious, and medical narratives that pathologize fatness. This stigma is pervasive across social contexts, making it crucial to understand how some fat individuals transition from internalized stigma to fat liberation despite ongoing societal and medical pressures to lose weight. While critical and fat studies have expanded, little research has examined the specific dynamics underlying shifts in the lived experiences of stigma among fat people, particularly from their own perspectives. This qualitative case study used semi-structured interviews with 10 executive leaders from a national fat advocacy organization to examine these dynamics. Thematic analysis revealed that reframing (critical reflection), kinship (dialogue), and advocacy (praxis) played central roles in the transition from stigma to fat liberation. These findings align with Freire’s theory of critical consciousness, providing a framework for future research and informing efforts to support the fat community, which continues to face persistent stigma and systemic harm. Resources such as thought leadership, community spaces, and advocacy opportunities further support liberation from internalized weight stigma. The study confirms the positive impact of fat-affirming factors in reducing internalized stigma and promoting fat liberation, while highlighting the need for further research in more diverse contexts, as the small, purposive sample of advocacy leaders may limit the transferability of the findings to the broader fat community.