SHAPE: Mission, Vision, & Values
Mission:
To amplify weight-inclusive, size-affirming, and fat liberation resources, practitioners, and change makers.
Vision:
We envision a world where bodies of all shapes, sizes, and expressions have unbiased access to health and wellness, are treated with dignity and respect, and are free to exist without the moral, physical, or social expectation to change.
Values:
Size-Affirming: We support and create spaces where bodies of all shape and sizes are free from weight bias, included in the development of spaces, and valued IN their body with no expectation to change it.
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Size-inclusive: Size-inclusive is an approach to health and well-being that understands lived-experience is made of of many intersecting factors, including size, race, gender, ability, age, sexuality, culture, ethnicity, environmental, and more. Size-inclusive is a social justice framework designed to challenge and help dismantle harmful oppressive frameworks that are a barriers to equity. In healthcare, size-inclusive care works to improve access to equitable healthcare, reduce exposure to weight stigma in care, and address negative impact of weight for all bodies, but especially those who identify as fat and/or BIPOC. We recognize and accept the evidence that weight is NOT a good measure of your health, and that health is a personal experience that should be defined by an individual and can be achieved at any size. Many SHAPE Center RI resources are Health At Every Size®, size-inclusive, non-diet, anti-oppression, and/or fat liberation practitioners.
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Diverse & Inclusive: We practice radical acceptance by celebrating and respecting differences, and honoring
each individuals unique lived-experience, including size, gender, gender expression & identity, race, ethnicity, religion, ability, and history.
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Honesty: We practice truth and transparency. We understand that almost every one of us has been deeply affected by diet-culture and weight-stigma. We are aware that most everyone has dieted, judged themselves & others, and actively pursued thinness - and that some who seek weight-inclusive care still do. We understand that diet-culture is reinforced on social media, in the doctors office, at the gym, at school, and even with-in our families. We know it can be hard to overcome the effects of weight-stigma regardless of your size, and that no one is perfect.
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Advocacy: SHAPE Center RI is committed to social justice and equity. We believe that social and political change happens by addressing inequities at all levels, from individual to families, from workplace policy to legislation. We value every contribution that helps create an honest, inclusive, boy-affirming, size-inclusive community.
SHAPE center is a collective of size-affirming, weight inclusive professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of people all sizes. We practice body acceptance and diversity, and welcome every size, gender, gender expression and identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and more. SHAPE was founded by Krista Handfield, a Heath at Every Size® practitioner and Health Equity professional, who recognizes the evidence that a persons size or weight is NOT an indicator of health, and that people of all sizes and body types deserve the opportunity to care for their health and wellness without discrimination or the expectation to change their body.
Weight-inclusive practitioners include therapist, life coaches, medical professionals, yoga instructors, nutritionists, acupuncturist, etc.