Turkey’s Public Weighing Campaign: Fighting Obesity or Fat-Shaming?

Turkey’s bold new campaign to tackle obesity has sparked both scales and tempers. The "Learn Your Ideal Weight, Live Healthy" initiative, running from May 10 to July 10, aims to weigh around 10 million citizens in public spaces across all 81 provinces. Health officials are setting up checkpoints to measure height and weight, calculating body mass index (BMI) to identify those with a BMI of 25 or higher. Those deemed overweight are referred to health centers for nutritional counseling and dietitian support.

A controversial approach has critics crying foul, arguing the public weigh-ins are less about health and more about humiliation. Gökben Hızlı Sayar, a Turkish psychiatrist, took to X with a quip, describing her encounter at a Üsküdar Square checkpoint as a "fat car showdown." She jokingly warned others to "flash their headlights" to avoid the scales. Many see the campaign as government overreach, accusing it of fat-shaming while ignoring deeper issues like soaring food prices and limited access to affordable, healthy options.

Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu defends the program, emphasizing its goal to promote healthier lifestyles. Leading by example, he stepped onto the scales himself, admitting he’s "a little over" and pledging to walk daily. "Which dietitian should I go to?" he quipped to reporters, later posting a video of his new walking routine. With 32.1% of Turkey’s 85 million people classified as obese (BMI over 30), according to the World Health Organization, the campaign targets a growing issue linked to fast food, economic pressures, and declining physical activity.

Yet, the public weigh-ins raise questions about privacy and stigma. While Turkey’s obesity rate trails the U.S.’s 40.3%, as per CDC data, the campaign’s approach feels like a blunt instrument. Will it inspire change or just weigh heavy on citizens’ dignity?