Recategorization Threat, Fear of Fat, and Antifat Prejudice

Learning one is similar to a stigmatized group can threaten one’s identity and cause disassociation from that group. However, how would learning of an immutable similarity with a stigmatized outgroup, implying possible recategorization into that group, affect prejudice towards that group? In the current investigation, we explored how receiving feedback that one has a high genetic predisposition to become obese in the future affected implicitly- and explicitly-assessed antifat attitudes. Participants (N = 216) were provided feedback indicating they either did or did not have a high genetic predisposition for obesity, or given no feedback (control condition). We found for those told they have a high probability of becoming fat in the future, initial fear of fatness was associated with greater antifat prejudice on both implicit and explicit measures. Contrary to predictions, we did not find any differences due to beliefs about the biological-basis of body size. This work adds to intergroup literature specifying when and how perceived similarity with outgroups affects prejudice.