Weight of Expectation shortlisted in 2020 AHRC Medical Humanities Awards

The Weight of Expectation comic exploring how our culture stigmatises larger body sizes has been shortlisted for the 2020 Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Medical Humanities Awards.

The comic is the result of art collective Act With Love’s collaboration with illustrator Jade Sarson to visualise the research of sociologist Oli Williams. It was funded by the Wellcome Trust, NIHR ARC West, NIHR ARC East Midlands, Attenborough Arts Centre and the University of Leicester. Oli held the NIHR CLAHRC West Dan Hill Fellowship in Health Equity from 2016-17.

Drawing on themes of stigma and weight, The Weight of Expectation is based on the experiences of people who attended NHS-subsidised weight-loss groups in one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England. Copies of the comic are available on the Act With Love website.

The awards shortlist celebrates the range of research using arts and humanities methodologies to tackle medical challenges, from antimicrobial resistance to mental health.

The AHRC Medical Humanities Awards – in association with the Wellcome Trust – showcase the best research taking place at the interface of the arts and humanities and medicine and celebrates its positive impact on medical outcomes.

Oli Williams talking to the audience at the Weight of Expectation comic launch