Health at Every Size

Health at Every Size® (HAES®) is a weight-neutral or non-weight-centered approach to health and health care. It is an alternative to the dominant paradigm in Western medicine that views health concerns through the lens of body size. HAES is the trademark registered by the nonprofit organization Association for Size Diversity and Health. The trademark ensures that this term is not used to promote weight loss, something that has occurred with much nondiet language (e.g., “healthy eating”). The term is fair use to promote weight neutrality or the pursuit of health and health care that does not focus on body size or weight loss. After reviewing the origins of the HAES approach, this entry discusses its connection to gender and sexual orientation; the entry concludes by ...