Words Matter, Including “Fat,” “Obese,” “Curvy,” and “Heavy”
Psychology Today | 28.01.2026 22:59
As a researcher and psychologist studying body image for nearly 30 years, I have collaborated with doctors, psychologists, dietitians, social workers, educators, activists, and journalists. These different professionals, embedded in very different contexts, tend to describe bodies—in particular, their size—differently. In medical settings, the terms “obese” * or “person with obesity” are commonly used, while body-image researchers often use terms like “relatively thin” and “higher weight.” As I work across settings, I often find myself pausing over the terminology I should use. That uncertainty reflects a cultural and scientific landscape in which language has evolved, research findings are sometimes misapplied, and lived experience does not always line up with clinical convention.
