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Body size is on my mind because I'm constantly... I'm thinking about how I present myself and how I'm perceived, and how I can climb my own career ladder. And, you know, why haven't I had success in some areas? And wondering whether or not people are listening to me or hearing me or thinking that I have, um, you know, leadership presence so that I can be considered for other opportunities and even be promoted.
Nina's a diversity and inclusion manager. In that job, she strives to create an environment where everybody's accepted, no matter who they are, including their race, age, gender, and weight.
Personally, though, she says she's been fighting to stay a size 12.
Oh, gosh, the fight is... I think part of it's because I'm mad at the clothing industry. It's very hard to find clothes for work and going out and everything in those, in a 14, not even the 24s and the 26s, but even in a size 14. And so trying to not go higher than 12 so I don't have to struggle with the clothing and being uncomfortable and not feeling confident.
That's how she felt going back to work after having a baby.
When you're pregnant, people have lots of empathy. After you're pregnant, people are just like, "What's wrong with you? Why isn't the baby weight melting off?" And, you know, I was in a training position where I did orientation every few weeks, and so I'm in front of people, and I wanna wear a suit and look professional and energetic and have people take me seriously, and I'm worried about, you know, are parts of me spilling out.
She also started worrying about not fitting a mold.
I feel like there's so many leaders around me who are thin [laughs], thin women, and I have never had a moment where someone said to me, you know, "You're a mess. Get it together." But certainly seeing women, the women around me who are in leadership positions, even, you know, the top women, um, at my previous employer, demanding careers, decades of accomplishments, and all, you know, thin and wearing certain designer clothes. And so they've achieved all this and never gained 20 pounds and even when they had their kids or did stress eating. And so it may not have been in the form of
Episode notes
Have you ever hesitated to take on a particular role or get up in front of other people because you felt self-conscious about your weight? Or worried that others would see you as unprofessional or “not equipped” for leadership positions? Perhaps you’ve made offhand comments about a colleague’s eating habits?
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
06:25 – Seeing Weight Bias as a Problem
13:36 – Anti-Fat Bias Runs Deep
17:07 – Self-Acceptance in a Larger Body
26:04 – How to (Not) Talk About Food & Weight at Work
35:53 – Advice for Managers: Addressing Weight Bias at Work
41:32 - Outro
Weight bias is everywhere, including at work, and yet it’s rarely discussed openly or made part of efforts to create equitable and inclusive workplaces. It should be, especially given what we know about the economic and emotional costs to women who are on the receiving end of this stigma.
Two women who have studied weight bias at work—and the misconceptions that underpin it—help us understand our role in creating a positive body culture.
Guests:
Dr. Habibah Williams is a nurse practitioner at the University of Virginia.
Grace Lemmon is a management professor at DePaul University.
Resources:
• “A primer with purpose: Research implications of the objectification of weight in the workplace,” by Grace Lemmon et al.: