„Gewichtsstigmatisierung“: Hohes Gewicht, großer Druck: Was übergewichtige Eltern nervt

Overweight parents often face significant pressure and stigma, impacting their lives and the lives of their children. Jolyn Muijsers, a 44-year-old woman from Flensburg, shared her personal experience with this issue. She once weighed 140 kilograms, a weight that caused her discomfort, especially when her child cried on a bus, allowing her to sense the passengers' judgments.

Muijsers, a gender equality officer at a university, has been battling her weight since adolescence, which she attributes to a traumatic experience. Despite being born in the Netherlands, studying psychology and pedagogy, and having a slim husband, she struggled with her weight for years. Her parents were of normal weight, and she eventually managed to lose 30 kilograms.

Muijsers speaks about the "weight stigma" she experienced, a term coined by Frankfurter University of Applied Sciences researcher Judith Pape-Greif. Pape-Greif studies parents with high body weight and interviewed six mothers and four fathers for her dissertation. She found that these parents face unique challenges and scrutiny, as their parenting and care competencies are often questioned due to their weight.

This additional pressure makes it difficult for them to feel confident in their parenting roles. Muijsers herself faced skepticism about whether to attend family events or worry about her children being ashamed of her. She also recalls a moment when a pediatrician accused her of feeding her children sweets, implying that her weight was the cause of their overweight condition.

However, she refused to let her weight control her life, purchasing a racing bike and striving to maintain her weight.