Erin Basinger interviewed for ‘Weight Stigma Is Getting in the Way of Your Health’
Erin Basinger, associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies, was interviewed for Oprah Daily’s article, ‘Weight Stigma Is Getting in the Way of Your Health.’
Basinger noticed a mass under her arm in 2019, thinking it was a side effect of her recent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. However, the lump remained undiagnosed during her subsequent prenatal care visits, and when she began to suffer from extreme fatigue, she thought it was just the exhaustion of a new mom.
Basinger has published research on health communication, including health outcomes, but what stopped her from demanding a diagnosis was the overwhelming message she had internalized over the years.
“Ever since I was 15, doctors diagnosed every problem I had as ‘It’s because you are fat.’ I heard this so many times, I bought it,” Basinger said. “If you reach your hand out and it gets slapped every time, you eventually stop reaching your hand out.”