Global obesity rates almost tripled since 1975. Yet, when it comes to addressing the issue most of the efforts focus mainly on weight loss and dieting. Their messages demonize weight and are often highly damaging to people. The overweight are stigmatized and target to diminishment by their social environment. They do not conform to the societal ideals of thinness. They have to face stereotypes and discrimination which jeopardizes their engagement with various weigh related programs. Fat stigma consequences are often ignored in initiatives striving to reduce obesity. Existing research points to how ignoring stigma can contribute to sustaining and proliferating this issue. In this talk Nada Sayarh, will provide avenues for understanding this overlooked aspect and how it operates to disengage people from their environment.
Nada Sayarh, is a social scientist and a lecturer at the university of Geneva. At the start of her career she has worked for Procter and gamble and Colgate Palmolive where she managed multiple global brands. Later she obtained her PhD, in management from the university of Geneva where she has been teaching for more than 10 years. She specializes in marketing, consumer behavior, soft skills, sustainable project management and strategic management. Her research interests revolve around improving people’s well-being. She draws from theories in sociology, social psychology, positive psychology and consumer research to get an in depth understanding of societal issues.
