sizeism

[sahyz-iz-uhm]

noun

1. discrimination against people who are visibly overweight or obese, especially the tendency to assume that they are unhealthy and lacking in self-control, or to devalue them as unworthy of attention, unsuitable for employment, etc..

   In this magazine we reject diet culture, sizeism, and the thin ideal.

2. discrimination against people of a certain shape or size.

   Sizeism is hard to avoid on some dating apps, where users commonly request that women over 5’6” not contact them.

sizeism

/ ˈsaɪzɪzəm /

noun

1. discrimination on the basis of a person's size, esp against people considered to be overweight

Other Word Forms

• sizeist adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sizeism¹

First recorded in 1970–75; size ¹ ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sizeism¹

C20: from _size ¹ + _-ism , on the model of _racism

Example Sentences

Gone are the misguided Asian jokes, the sizeism slander, the ableist language and the whole pedophilia plot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Harvard’s double standard starts at the top,” the plaintiffs say in the suit, claiming that the school requires students to take a training class warning that they will be disciplined if they engage in “sizeism, fatphobia, racism, transphobia or other disfavored behavior” yet allows students and faculty members to “advocate, without consequence, the murder of Jews and the destruction of Israel, the only Jewish country in the world.”

Read more on New York Times

Inspired by his own experiences, the musical tells the story of Usher, who is working as an usher while writing about his own life, while also struggling with his family’s homophobia and with the racism and sizeism he encounters in the gay community.

Read more on New York Times

It is a stark change for a brand that not only long sold lingerie in the guise of male fantasy, but has also been scrutinized heavily in recent years for its owner’s relationship with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and revelations about a misogynistic corporate culture that trafficked in sexism, sizeism and ageism.

Read more on New York Times

A news article that pointed out actors’ pandemic weight gain spurred a conversation about sizeism throughout the musical theater scene.

Read more on Los Angeles Times