[View the story "War on weight" on Storify ]War on weight Storified by AJAMStream · Wed, Nov 27 2013 12:22:06
The First Lady Introduces Let's Movewhitehouse
Okay so the soda ban won't fly. I propose a sugar tax on soft drinks and the like: money goes to anti-obesity programs in schools. #NYCJuice Fong
A campaign in Georgia to fight childhood obesity
stirred controversy over its tone, which critics say was abrasive.
about-face.org
A recent study from Florida State University's medical school
showed that stigma associated with weight can actually contribute to behavior that leads to weight gain, such as overeating or avoiding physical activity due to self-consciousness. Marsha Davis, a child obesity prevention researcher at the University of Georgia's College of Public Health, said that ads like the ones in Georgia may not be helping.
“We need to fight obesity,” she said, “not obese people.”ajc.com
The stigma surrounding overweight people is generally referred to as
weight bias , and the individuals who are affected report a wide range of discrimination from doctors, supervisors, and even family members.
My sister who has bipolar disorder cannot find a psychiatrist or therapist to treat her because the only thing they can see is her weight. They ignore her other problems including her mental illness. She always searches through photos looking for an “overweight” practitioner who will not be so judgmental. She can’t get treatment for her real illness because of their fatphobia.microaggressions.tumblr.com
Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity backs claims like the one above. Their research has found that doctors often admit to seeing obese patients as lazy, sloppy, and lacking in self-control. Their policy brief below outlines some of the consequences of weight bias.
I'm very thankful to be born in a country where organizing #FatShamingWeek is not illegal. Not yet, anyway.Roosh
@rooshv why would you choose to deliberately try to make people feel bad about how they look? It's gratuitously cruel. Please reconsider.Hope Estella
@HopeWhitmore Because they are a burden on my country's health care system and an affront to the vision of my countrymen. #FatShamingWeekRoosh
I've had it with fat people squeezing into the seat next to me on the train. Really? Loose weight or buy 2 tickets. #FatShamingWeek #fbBrian Kerr
While the
#FatShamingWeek campaign attempted to ridicule overweight individuals, critics came out on Twitter in equally strong measure.
#FatShamingWeek was created to coax the worst out of human nature. It has no leverage - just ignorance & hate. http://t.co/FD1Dj3POQxHaley
Which is worse, being fat, or being cruel? #noshame #FatShamingWeek http://twitter.com/itchbay/status/388168621089775616/photo/1itchbay
Fitness writer Maria Kang sparked a similar conversation on Facebook when she posted this picture.
Let's inspire people everywhere. www.facebook.com/mariamkangMaria Kang
Online reactions to the photo were mixed.
You can live a completely healthy, happy life, without looking like Jillian Michaels... or Maria Kang.Scott Goodfellow
Inspirational! I want to be like you when I have kids. =)Anna Joy
But body acceptance movements have also made their place online. Christie, a plus-size blogger, responded to a contentious PETA ad that compared overweight individuals to whales with her own photo.
calorielab.com
bastet2329.blogspot.com
Christie is one of many using the internet to speak out against bias based on body size. Other videos, like the one below from Megan, aim to dispel stereotypes surrounding the word "fat."
I AM FAT! (Veda 22)meghantonjes
The Stream asked its community for their thoughts on weight bias.
And why is it not a crime to discriminate based on weight?Christina A Wolford
.We see obesity as indication of poor character.Marie Moltime
Some debated whether concerns over weight stem from legitimate health concerns.
Obesity is a health issue more than anything else.Neelofur Ahmad
When people criticise those who they think have a health problem connected to their weight, it hasn't anything to do with concern for their health; it has to do with being bigoted jerks.Bambi Best
@AJAMStream While I'm sure it's honestly happened, I bet more than a few people are blurring the line between stigma and medical advice.Adam Girod
One reader connected the recent
news about the morning-after pill to weight discrimination.
I hope you'll add to the conversation recent reports that the emergency contraceptive drug Plan B is not effective in women who weigh over 176 pounds. It decreases in effectiveness starting at 166 pounds and the average weight of an American woman is 166.2 pounds. This is an actual form of discrimination against overweight women, by making them pay for drugs without adequately informing them of the risk factors based on weight. Hatred of fat people happens in these big and small ways everyday.america.aljazeera.com
What do you think about weight bias? Leave your comments below.
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