Ideas worth spreading

The inaccurate link between body ideals and health

2,072,720 views | Nancy N. Chen • TED Salon: Novo Nordisk

Global obesity rates are on the rise, but body shaming campaigns are doing more harm than good, says medical anthropologist Nancy N. Chen. Reflecting on how the cultural histories of body ideals have changed over time, she offers a new way to view ourselves and our health by enhancing body diversity to close the gap between what's ideal and what's real.

Global obesity rates are on the rise, but body shaming campaigns are doing more harm than good, says medical anthropologist Nancy N. Chen. Reflecting on how the cultural histories of body ideals have changed over time, she offers a new way to view ourselves and our health by enhancing body diversity to close the gap between what's ideal and what's real.

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Novo Nordisk. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Nancy N. Chen

Medical anthropologist

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Engaging scientific knowledge, Nancy N. Chen examines the intersections of medicine, political economy and social inequality.

Alexandra Brewis, Cindi Sturzsteetharan and Amber Wutich | Globalization and Health, 2018 | Article

"Obesity stigma as a globalizing health challenge"

Weight stigma and distress affects people around the world as a recent global health problem requiring appropriate public health responses to the "obesity epidemic."

Katharine Young and Nicole Sault | The Journal of American Folklore, 1997 | Book

Many Mirrors: Body Image and Social Relations

Bodies are read differently depending on their social contexts. To learn how bodies were differently valued in rural Jamaica, read the chapter entitled "The Sweetness of Fat" by Elisa J. Sobo (pages 123-154).

Shigehisa Kuriyama | Zone Books, 1999 | Book

The Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine

Classical systems of medicine such as ancient Greek, Chinese, Ayurveda, Unani and Islamic medicine offer invaluable comparative knowledge on how bodies were conceptualized and treated with vitality in mind.

Jean Langford | Duke University Press, 2002 | Book

Fluent Bodies: Ayurvedic Remedies for Postcolonial Imbalance

About TED Salon

TED Salons welcome an intimate audience for an afternoon or evening of highly-curated TED Talks revolving around a globally relevant theme. A condensed version of a TED flagship conference, they are distinct in their brevity, opportunities for conversation, and heightened interaction between the speaker and audience.

Read more about TED Salons

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Novo Nordisk. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

Support community-based health clinics that ensure equal access to healthcare services regardless of income, insurance status, language or culture.