Words shape care - The first European glossary for more inclusive and respectful language

Words shape reality.
They can stigmatize, exclude, and assign blame.
Or they can protect dignity, open access to care, and build understanding.

On World Obesity Day, Parole O_Stili, in collaboration with Lilly and with the patronage of the Amici Obesi Association, launches the first European glossary promoting respectful, inclusive, and accurate language when talking about obesity.

A project born in Italy in 2025.
Now expanding across Europe.

Because language is never neutral. And neither is silence.

The World Health Organization defines obesity as a complex, chronic, multifactorial disease shaped by biological, genetic, environmental, social, and cultural factors.

And yet, public narratives still reduce it to personal failure or lack of willpower.

Weight stigma remains one of the most powerful and invisible barriers to care. It affects diagnosis, delays treatment, and discourages people from seeking medical support. It reinforces inequalities. It isolates.

Changing the narrative is not cosmetic.
It is structural.

This glossary was created from a simple conviction: changing words is the first step toward changing systems.

“Words shape care” identifies key terms and concepts related to obesity and weight stigma. It exposes harmful or stigmatizing expressions. It challenges language that appears neutral but perpetuates bias. It invites reflection. It offers more respectful alternatives.

Not to police speech.
But to promote responsibility.

Not to impose perfection.
But to restore dignity.

First published in Italian in 2025, the glossary is now available in Polish, Romanian, and Czech, and will soon be released in Croatian and Hungarian.

Each translation follows shared linguistic guidelines curated by Parole O_Stili, under Lilly’s supervision, and was shared with local patients' associations for endorsement.

Because stigma crosses borders.
And so must awareness.

Join the movement toward more responsible language.