How Do I Talk To A Colleague About Their Weight Stigma?

I received this question from an anonymous reader who is an RN, and it’s a question I’ve received in various shapes and forms from a number of providers:

I feel like I’m surrounded by weight stigma all day long - negative body talk in front of (sometimes to and at!) patients, diet talk amongst the staff (sometimes also in front of patients) jokes at high weight patient’s expense behind the scenes …you get the idea. I want to say something but I’m not clear how. Do you have any ideas on what to say to a colleague who is engaging in weight stigma, especially in front of the patients?

This is a great question, a common question, and a tricky question. The approach to these conversations can be impacted by power and privilege imbalances, the cultures of the people involved or the workplace in general, the relationships between the people involved and more.

That said, I think that there are a few main options (with plenty of variations). In this piece I’ll look at different options for dealing with colleagues more or less directly, with the understanding that sometimes the best option may be utilizing HR or the chain of command to file a report/get assistance.