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Trademark Guidelines

ASDAH Guidelines for Health at Every Size® and HAES® Usage

Since 2011 ASDAH has held the Health at Every Size® and HAES® trademarks. This stewardship has been an effort to protect the community-driven, grassroots development of the Health at Every Size® framework of care from the weight loss industry.

The trademark guidelines, in addition to the HAES® Principles and curriculum, have not been updated for nearly 10 years. It is a top priority of ASDAH’s current leadership team to update the principles and curriculum. As we approach this endeavor, it has become clear that the trademark guidelines, as written in the past, were problematic. They ignored the wisdom of our Black, fat, and disabled ancestors and peers. They have not evolved with new knowledge and important critiques from those most impacted by fatphobia. They have also not protected HAES® from thin-washing and thin- and white-centering. 

The hope that the Health at Every Size® Principles and Framework of Care would continue to be community-centered through a laissez-faire approach has only allowed those with the most privilege to gain huge followings and capitalize off of a diluted and sometimes harmful version of what HAES® could actually offer: health equity for those most impacted by fatphobia. Moving to center Health at Every Size® principles into more liberatory frameworks requires a reining in of the misuse of HAES®.

Those in the HAES® space, especially white providers, are facing a reckoning. We are evolving through a stage mirrored by white feminism and white queer movements. Fat issues are not only white fat issues. Black fat issues are not the same as or less important than white fat issues. And yet, fracturing fat liberation away from Black liberation movements has only made room for some white fat folks. HAES® in particular has only made room for thin white folks. No fucking more.

We believe in community-centered approaches, but only those that acknowledge the inherent power and privilege at play, and constantly work to uplift the experiences of those most impacted by fat-bias in healthcare. Community-led approaches only work when the community is at least as representative of the populations served as the general population. ASDAH Membership as of 2021 was only 51% fat (compared with 74% of the general US population) and less than 10% were People of Color (compared with 45% of the US population and 84% of the global population). 

Fat, Black, disabled, and transgender folks must lead the way. Liberation led by Black, fat women will not leave anyone behind, as white feminism continually does. As we steward the Health at Every Size® Principles into a more radically inclusive and liberatory evolution, we ask for those who espouse HAES® to be in right relationship with us by adhering to the following Health at Every Size® and HAES® trademarks guidelines:

Guidelines

These guidelines have been prepared to inform you of the proper use of the trademark(s), including without limitation service marks, which are the property of the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH). A trademark has been granted to ASDAH for Health At Every Size® and HAES® services and materials.

A trademark is both a symbol of the trademark owner’s high standards and an assurance of the consistent quality of the product or service being offered under the mark. You may use the Health at Every Size® and HAES® trademarks with prior written permission from ASDAH and when in compliance with our guidelines below. To request permission, fill out the form below.

Trademarks are valuable intellectual property, and protecting ASDAH’s trademarks is beneficial because:

  • Using the trademark with permission assures that all Health At Every Size® and HAES® services/materials adhere to the HAES® principles.
  • The strength of our trademarks grows with use.
  • It helps protect Health At Every Size® and HAES® distinctiveness.
 

The following rules must therefore be followed when referring to the ASDAH trademarks in news articles, photo captions, advertising, literature, correspondence, and the like.

  1. You must use the symbol ® every time the Health At Every Size® phrase or HAES® acronym is used.
  2. Use the trademarks only as an adjective (for example: Health At Every Size® framework, Health At Every Size® research, HAES® principles, etc.), never as a noun or verb, and never use in the plural or possessive form.
  3. Use a generic term following the trademark(s). (See 2 above for examples).
  4. ASDAH’s Trademark Notice must be prominently displayed on all publications utilizing the trademarked term/service: “Health At Every Size® and HAES® are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health and used with permission.”
  5. In advertising copy, notice of trademark rights may be provided in a footnote format e.g., by placing an asterisk adjacent to the Health At Every Size® phrase or the HAES® acronym, and placing the notice listed above in Section d at the bottom of the page on which the asterisk appears.
  6. Don’t display the Health At Every Size® or HAES® trademarks in any manner that can be reasonably interpreted to suggest editorial content has been authored by, or represents the view or opinions of ASDAH or the ASDAH Board of Directors. This includes but is not limited to using Health at Every Size® or HAES® as part or all of a business or organization name, social media handles and names including group names, the title of written works and materials, the title of presentations, webinars, events, and the like.
  7. If you see what you consider might be unauthorized use of our trademarks, or elements thereof, please alert ASDAH.
 

Health at Every Size® and HAES® Trademark Use Request Form

As we near finalizing the revised Health at Every Size® Principles, we are not considering trademark use requests at the time. We anticipate new trademark guidelines and use request process will be announced in the fall of 2023.

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