Mann Talks About the Prevalence of Weight Stigma on Bloomberg Health Podcast

A Bloomberg Health podcast episode, titled, “Have the Dangers of Extra Pounds Been Exaggerated?” features Dr. Traci Mann, who explains how common weight stigma is in our society. 

Mann describes that from a young age, the emphasis on being thin is consistently reinforced with the expectation that if you are not thin, you are actively working to become thinner. Mann believes that these societal values result in the constant push for dieting, even though dieting does not often result in long-term weight loss. Mann shares that the connection between poverty and obesity is also well-established and not, therefore, an exaggeration. 

Traci Mann, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota