Virgie Tovar

Virgie Tovar, ( ; born May 19, 1982) is an American author, lecturer, and weight-based discrimination speaker. She writes about fat acceptance, anti-fat bias, and diet culture. She was the host of The Virgie Show on CBS Radio

Early life and education Tovar is of Mexican descent. She has struggled with weight issues since childhood. In middle school she struggled with an eating disorder. and her Master of Arts in Human Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University.

Career

In 2013 Tovar criticized the American Medical Association for classifying obesity as a disease. She began the #LoseHateNotWeight campaign to highlight the impacts of diet culture and educate people about the importance of ending weight-based discrimination. Tovar has been accused of downplaying the negative effects of obesity.

In 2018, she started a four week online course to support women who wanted to break their obsession with diet culture. Tovar is an ongoing contributor for Forbes. and has authored several books and articles. In 2014, Tovar appeared in the documentary Fattitude. She has been profiled in the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle and BBC Mundo. Tovar was also the host of the Webby Award-nominated podcast, Rebel Eaters Club, produced by Transmitter Media for three seasons.

Tovar has received Yale's Poynter Fellowship in Journalism, the Anne G. Locascio Memorial Scholarship from the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, the Inspire Award from Project HEAL, and three individual artist commissions from the San Francisco Arts Commission.

In December 2024, Tovar was hired for six months as a consultant on "weight stigma and weight neutrality" by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The remark has been criticized by commentators who argue that such messaging may normalize unhealthy behaviors or undermine public health guidance on diet and exercise. Opponents counter that this approach could discourage wellness initiatives or undervalue widely recognized physical and mental health benefits of physical activity.

In December 2024, the San Francisco Department of Public Health retained Tovar as a short-term consultant on weight stigma and weight neutrality, a move that drew mixed reactions. Supporters described the hiring as a step toward reducing discrimination in health settings, while critics characterized it as politically motivated “woke overreach.”

Earlier in her career, Tovar launched the #LoseHateNotWeight campaign, which received both praise for challenging diet culture and criticism from detractors who argued it downplayed potential health implications of obesity.

Works

Books [ Partial preview] at Google Books. [ Partial preview] at Google Books. [ Partial preview] at Google Books.

Articles