Jillian Chandler grew up a ballet dancer. With every plié or pirouette as she faced herself in the large mirrors of her dance studio, Chandler became acutely aware of how her pink leotard clung to her skin, or how her stomach might slightly protrude against the pastel fabric.
“Body image issues are ingrained in my blood,” she said, reflecting on her life as a dancer.
After coming to Cal Poly, Chandler, a kinesiology alum, became hyper aware of the culture around body image and expectations on campus and in the greater San Luis Obispo community.
“I’ve seen so many people around me suffer from it,” Chandler said. “It’s a really important topic that our education system doesn’t do justice.”
Chandler approached Professor Stefanee Maurice of the Kinesiology Department, who specializes in sport and exercise psychology. They embarked on a BEACoN research project to study issues of mental health and body image. Specifically, she wanted to identify patterns of anti-fat bias.
According to the Boston Medical Center, anti-fat bias is the “implicit and explicit bias of overweight individuals that is rooted in a sense of blame and presumed moral failing.” Additionally, it is the idea that being overweight is “highly stigmatized.”
The study’s findings
Together, Chandler and Maurice developed a survey questionnaire, asking about participants’ beliefs about the causes of obesity, biases about weight and their personal experiences with body image issues.
The survey was sent out to the joint kinesiology, public health and nutrition department, and attracted over 150 participants. The results found that 74% of these participants agreed in some capacity with the statement: “During my time at Cal Poly, I have struggled with body image concerns related to my size or shape.”
The study also found that many participants said they have suffered from disordered eating and “excessive or compulsive” exercise habits.
“Orthorexia is a real thing, and it’s present on this campus,” Maurice said.
Orthorexia describes the medical condition in which a person has an obsession with eating only “healthy” food and can be linked to excessive working out and body image issues, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Specifically, participants of the BEACoN study expressed feelings of shame or fear about eating foods higher in fat and sugar.
“There’s no reason to categorize foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad,’” Maurice said. “Food is something that connects us, gives us shared experiences and cultural traditions. Even if not nutritionally, it’s serving some purpose for you in a way.”
Some participants also said they feel a social pressure to workout everyday or said they feel guilty for taking a day off from the gym. Despite the bulk of studies supporting the need for rest days and avoiding exercising for extended periods of time, many feel the need to continue their routine due to feelings of anxiety or shame associated with not working out.
“You shouldn’t view exercise as a punishment, or to work off the calories of what you ate for lunch,” Chandler said. “You should do it because it’s good for you and you like the way it makes you feel.”
The results of the study also suggested a correlation between a person’s size and others’ perceptions of them. A person in a larger body can tend to be associated more with an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and lack of willpower. This perception often exists regardless of any causes that are outside of someone’s control, such as genetics and other biological factors, or proper education about nutrition.
In addition, Maurice said that people often tend to view individuals in larger bodies less positively overall, attaching lower levels of self worth or value to their weight.
“Your size is the least interesting thing about you. Your body doesn’t say anything about you morally,” Maurice said.
Why is anti-fat bias research valuable?
Civil engineering senior Ameena Sayed said she is glad this topic is being brought to light, considering how commonplace it is on campus and how social media perpetuates the issue.
“I see students posting really aesthetic but superficial posts,” Sayed said. “Social media promotes this lifestyle which can be unhealthy to try to live up to.”
Maurice said that anti-fat bias is harmful for a number of reasons, both personal and professional. While individuals may experience feelings of discomfort and suffer from disordered eating or activity, it can also affect the healthcare field and services provided to patients.
According to Maurice, doctors and others in healthcare services tend to under-diagnose overweight patients with actual conditions, often prescribing them to simply lose weight rather than to investigate other medical possibilities.
Maurice said that this research aims to combat existing anti-fat bias, particularly to raise awareness for those who will be future healthcare providers. Given that many in the kinesiology department often pursue healthcare fields like physical therapy, Maurice considers raising awareness of the issue “essential to creating a non-toxic healthcare environment.”
Chandler said she acknowledges that battling body image is a difficult process, but there are steps that can be taken to help. She recommends trying to find a community and other people you can talk to.
“Seek body positive resources that will uplift you. Our bodies are simply the vessel we exist in; it doesn’t reflect your worth,” Chandler said.
Considering we live in the digital age of social media, Chandler also discourages using social media as a “guide” for how one should look. Especially for young Gen-Z students who are constantly scrolling through apps of workout influencers with photoshopped bodies, it is important to be aware of the damage it can do to one’s self esteem.
Maurice and Chandler presented their research to the Association of Applied Sports Psychology’s (AASP) West Regional Conference earlier this year in March.
Chandler, the only undergraduate student to present at AASP, said her research was much different than the other topics discussed at the event.
“It just shows how underrepresented this issue is,” Chandler said. “Nobody was talking about it, but everyone was feeling it.”