Virginie Blanchette cites the singer Lady Gaga: “I was born this way.”
“I’ve had weight problems back as far as I know. I was a bigger girl. I was a bigger teenager and I was a bigger adult,” she says. “I was living in a larger body. I really felt that I was OK in my body.”
Virginie Blanchette shares Lady Gaga’s sentiment that everyone is born a superstar, and she firmly believes in the importance of self-love and acceptance, having grown up in rural Quebec with a positive body image, despite societal disapproval.
“It was doctors and people who were discussing my weight with my parents when the situation of my body started to be a problem,” she says. Her parents put her on a diet to support her, as recommended by doctors who told the family she was too big for her age and her weight would impact her health.
From Confidence to Self-Doubt: Virginie’s Teenage Struggles
Despite this, Virginie celebrated her individuality as a young teenager, adopting her larger body and enjoying friendships, leadership roles, and sports, but her confidence began to wane as she worked through the healthcare system as an older teenager.
As Virginie transitioned into adulthood, her self-assurance began to falter, particularly when interacting with the healthcare system, where she faced challenges that eroded her confidence.
“You’re starting to have checkups, visits for prevention, consultation and you’re starting to become your own person who makes your own decisions. I started to stress about who I was and my body and the way people were talking about my body.”
Virginie’s struggles with her body image intensified, leading to unhealthy habits, stress-eating, and a decline in her sense of self-worth, which continued to grow as she attended university.
“I started to feel that I was not enough because of my larger body. I needed to do more to be a good health-care professional, because I was in a larger body.”
Virginie pursued a career in medical biology and later became a podiatrist, recognizing the key role of foot health in mobility and daily activities, inspired in part by her experience helping her grandfather with his mobility issues.
Empathy in Practice: Virginie’s Podiatry Career
Virginie’s personal experience with extra weight has given her a deeper understanding of her patients, many of whom live with type 2 diabetes and carry additional weight, allowing her to approach her work with empathy.
Empathy and understanding through personal experience
“It’s difficult to do physical activities when you have foot pain,” says Virginie, 39, who’s also a new mom and focuses her research on foot health. Her research lab is at Vitam Research Centre in Quebec City and she’s also a podiatry professor at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivières. Life is busy.
Virginie acknowledges that living in a larger body can make it difficult to adopt healthy habits and engage in physical activities, and her research focuses on patient-centered care.
She helps people with diabetes who have foot problems and foot wounds, working to save them from amputation. Foot wounds can be high-risk for further infection and poor circulation and high blood sugar levels that happen in diabetes slow healing. Even minor injuries like cuts, blisters or heel cracks can quickly worsen if not properly managed.
“I’m a researcher, I’m also a mom, a friend, a daughter. I would say I have many roles, and I wanted to say out loud that we need to support the obesity cause.” Virginie is also the director of advocacy and education with Parlons Obésité, the French division of Obesity Matters, a national advocacy patient organization.
Advocacy and Education: Fighting Obesity Stigma
Virginie is committed to promoting education and self-advocacy for individuals living with obesity, emphasizing the need for accessible healthcare services and support for those in larger bodies.
Her own journey working through the system has had its ups and downs, with a few examples she shares openly. One doctor put her on a protein diet instead of asking her questions to understand the underlying issues of her weight. Diets fail because they aren’t sustainable and don’t address other biological and psychological factors that play a role in obesity.
When she was looking for help with fertility, being in a larger body became “trickier” because she faced stigma and had to find different specialists where she felt safe and supported.
“Fertility is something that, when it’s already hard to become pregnant and if you’re not in the ‘wellness bubble’ [and fit healthy stereotypes] because of the obesity, it can be such a bad experience. It’s not only the result that matters,” she says of people who have a baby. “It’s also the journey and it’s why I started to support a group at the University of Calgary that works on obesity stigma during fertility and pregnancy. I also work with a team at the University of Sherbrooke.”
Virginie’s advocacy has become even closer to her heart now. Her mom passed away from an acute problem because of her frailty. Her deteriorating health was also linked to obesity.
Personal Loss Fuels Public Awareness
“What matters the most is to be able to raise awareness to the public to make sure that they are informed about their own health and about obesity and about where they can go for help. There are plenty of tools in the toolbox regarding obesity.”
She wants to put an equity lens on obesity, because those good lifestyle habits that support weight management are universal. “Sleep well, eat well, exercise, whether people are living in a larger body or not. This is something that everybody needs to do.”
Virginie is candid about her personal journey and becoming happy again about who she is in a larger body. She wants the same for others living with obesity.
“If I have access to education, to the toolbox, whatever I need to support me, I will follow lifestyle habits to support a life rich in activities, free from the hospital and just be happy in my own body.”
Personal Challenges and Advocacy
Virginie’s experience seeking fertility assistance highlighted the stigma faced by those in larger bodies, as she had to handle finding specialists who provided a safe and supportive environment. Her advocacy deepened after her mother’s passing from health issues linked to frailty and obesity, making the cause even more personal. Virginie openly shares her journey of reclaiming happiness in her larger body, aiming to support the same acceptance for others living with obesity.
