Paris is to host its first "anti-sizeism" day, including an extra-large fashion show, as part of a week against all forms of discrimination.

Friday's event at the city hall dedicated to the fight against "grossophobia" (fatphobia) comes after a woman hit headlines with her book on being fat in France, recounting how she lost her job and ended up homeless over discrimination. She currently lives in a youth hostel.

Paris town hall defines "grossophobia" as "a specific form of rejection, disdain, hostility and discrimination targeting overweight people".

It can come in "many forms," it said, from insults from strangers or the victim's entourage to discrimination from institutions, and can lead to guilt and self-hatred.

Organisers say the event's aim is to place the French capital at the forefront in the fight against discrimination.