Exploring the distress factors of weight-based stigmata in shopping: a qualitative study on obese females

The primary objective of this article is to explore the distress factors associated with weight-based stigmata experienced by obese women during clothes shopping. Despite the increasing scholarly attention regarding weight-based stigmatisation, linking stigmatisation to clothes shopping and investigating the factors that trigger stigmatisation remains a relatively new field of research. This study investigates the experiences of obese female consumers with weight-based stigmata in a shopping context. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study examined 30 middle-class obese Turkish women selected through criterion sampling. Subsequently, subcategories and patterns were derived and analysed from data gathered through in-depth interviews featuring semi-structured questions focusing on key themes. The findings indicate that women are often faced with environmental stigmatisation during shopping, which contradicts their desire to feel 'normal'. Indirect stigmata emerged as the second distress factor, which includes more subtle forms of stigmatisation stemming from sales representatives' dismissive attitudes or other shoppers' judgements.