Overweight children and adults have to face several challenges in their daily lives as their physical appearance is not accepted by the society and their peers. They tend to be ridiculed and embarrassed through the negative stereotypes. The negative stereotypes developed through fat shaming, weight bias and a healthy body promoting society have several negative effects on obese people. These effects are witnessed in different social settings and daily life experiences of obese individuals. The obesity stereotypes are a mere reflection of the society and its epidemical thinking towards obesity, but the negative impact of these stereotypes is witnessed on the behaviour and confidence level shown by obese people (Puhl et al. 1166-1173).
Stereotypes such as fat shaming utilizes bullying to force people into losing weight, but the effect of such stereotypes ensures obese people remain fat and lose their confidence. According to research, people who face fat shaming incidents are more likely to gain weight or remain obese. Even calling someone fat has a negative impact on them, as revealed by a long-term study at UCLA that discovered that young girls being called fat by people close to them ended up becoming fat in older age (Ross). Since obesity gets stereotyped in a highly negative way in the Western world, several studies showcase that adults view obese people as unattractive, lazy, unpopular, sloppy and unhappy.
Obese and overweight individuals end up being targets of stigma and social bias, and they are also highly vulnerable to the negative opinion in several domains of life. Obese individuals have to face social pressure in different places such as medical facilities, mass media, educational institutions, employment and interpersonal relationships (The Obesity Society). Many people in the society showcase their bias towards obese individuals through their negative beliefs and attitude by discriminating the overweight and obese in their social circles. Engagement of such beliefs and attitudes results in the development of perception among obese people that being obese makes them devalued and lesser in comparison to others around them. The stereotypes of obesity create a perception that having an acceptable weight is a social necessity and tends to endorse anorexia.
Research has documented that for obese adults who face weight stigmatization are reported to have higher rates of social isolation, anxiety and depression, and display lower psychological adjustment. Few of the obese adults can react to the stereotypes by accepting and internalizing the negative attitude they face, and that can result in increasing their vulnerability to developing low self-esteem. Since, societal messages mostly perpetuate social beliefs that being overweight can be under personal control, obese people are less likely to stand up and challenge the stereotypes. Mostly, they develop the understanding that the stigma can be escaped only through losing weight. Stereotypes also have several negative effects on eating behaviours by mediating with the weight loss efforts and leading to some adults eating more as a response to stigmatizing encounters. Stereotypes against obese also have several implications on an individual’s health as many obese people face stigma from healthcare service providers due to their weight bias. Stereotyping obesity also exacerbates poor behaviour of self-care and contributes to further complications among obese individuals (The Obesity Society).
Overweight and obese children also are the targets of stereotypes and remain vulnerable to the negative impacts of weight bias. A negative outlook towards obesity develops early among children, and they attribute negative characteristics towards their overweight peers by being mean to them and calling them stupid, lazy, and ugly. Peers become common perpetrators of derogatory name calling and teasing related to weight bias and school is one of the most common places to witness obesity stigma (The Obesity Society). The negative stereotypes of obesity have several implications with potentially harmful ramifications on psychological health and peer acceptance of overweight children. Obese children are less liked as playmates than the average-weighted children. Also, obese children perceive themselves as depressed and develop low self-concept seen in their behaviour, popularity, academic performance, anxiety, physical appearance and happiness.
Effects of obesity stereotypes can be witnessed in several settings of daily lives. In case of employment settings, obese people can face bias from many sources. Even before an employee is hired, obesity stereotypes start playing its role in the selection of the suitable candidate. Research has proven that when a resume is accompanied with a video or image of the candidate, the overweight candidates are less likely to be chosen due to the negative perception of the society towards obesity. Several studies also reveal that obese employees are associated with several negative stereotypes such as being less competent, lazy, sloppy, lacking self-discipline, poor role models, disagreeable, and less conscientious. Additionally, overweight employees can suffer wage penalties, as several companies tend to offer lower wages to obese employees. They also have to face a low probability of getting promoted in comparison to thinner employees having similar performance levels and educational qualifications (The Obesity Society).
In the school settings, overweight students may face ridicule and harassment from their peers, and face negative attitudes from their educators such as the dean and teachers. Some research has revealed that at colleges, qualified overweight students are less likely to get accepted for admission, in comparison to normal weight applicants (The Obesity Society). Teasing is a significant problem from an obese youth’s point of view, especially for those who come from a minority ethnic or racial group (Baral). A study revealed that 25 to 50 percent of the obese children teased by their peers or family members are bothered by the actions causing stress and panic. Negative attitudes towards obesity are developed in preschool, but they worsen and grow as children age. Peers treat obese children in the worst fashion as they are considered undesirable playmates for the slimmer children and get stereotyped as stupid, lazy, mean and ugly (Washington 2-3).
The result of stereotypes and ignorance of their peers is seen among young children as they end up becoming loners in the classroom with limited confidence to speak up. Also, obese children tend to avoid school and miss more days of school in comparison to thinner children. Teachers also tend to perceive obese children as overly emotional, untidy, less likely to complete tasks and succeed at work, and more likely to come from problematic homes in comparison to thinner children. A study revealed that 43 percent of the principals agreed that many people are uncomfortable getting associated with overweight people. Additionally, teachers also have lower hopes for overweight students and consider that they would be unable to compete with the non-obese children both inside and outside the classroom. Also, obese students are considered to be less likely to get accepted in peer groups and deliver acceptable academic and non-academic performance. All these facts are proof for obese people feeling ignored by their peers and teachers during their school years (Washington 1-5).
Obese adults and children often end up becoming withdrawn from the society due to their experiences of stereotyping and rejection, which can have a negative impact on their psychological well-being and health. Obesity stereotypes are reported across different population groups, having an impact on the wellbeing of overweight people. In healthcare, biased perception towards overweight patients has been identified and documented. Several physicians, psychologists, dieticians, nurses and medical students, have the perception that overweight patients are weak-willed, unintelligent, unsuccessful, overindulgent, lazy, and unpleasant. One alarming effect of the negative attitudes held health care providers is that overweight patients might avoid obtaining any medical care due to the possibility of being avoided and embarrassed by medical professionals over their weight. Research demonstrates that obese patients more likely to delay or cancel their appointments with medical care providers, especially women who are obese (Flint 1-40).
The impact of stereotypes is seen among obese people in different walks of life. Obese children and adults end up avoiding people and run away from their problems, mostly leading to their isolation from the society. In the workplace, obese employees are not considered for promotions on the basis of their inability to control their weight. In education, overweight students are avoided by both educators and peers as they are considered not worthy or unequal to the non-obese students. In healthcare, obese people tend to avoid doctors and caregivers as they feel they will be embarrassed and ridiculed. To conclude, obesity is seen as a sin by the society and the harsh stereotypes faced by obese and overweight people leads to the development of a feeling of inferiority and an aura of judgement on every action made or word said by them. As a result, many obese and overweight people in all age groups and both sexes end up avoiding public presence and get treated as rejects of the society.
Works Cited
“Obesity, Bias, and Stigmatization”. The Obesity Society. Obesity.org. n.d. Web. 29 March 2016.
Baral., S. Hispanic Obesity: Ethnic Stereotyping Makes Latinos Three Times More Likely To Be Obese, Scientists Find. La Times. latimes.com. 5 September 2014. Web. 29 March 2016.
Flint., S. “Obesity stigma: Prevalence and impact in healthcare”. British Journal of Obesity 1.1 (2015): 1-40. Print.
Puhl, R. M., J. D. Latner, K. O'Brien, J. Luedicke, S. Danielsdottir, and M. Forhan. "A multinational examination of weight bias: predictors of anti-fat attitudes across four countries." Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 39.7 (2015): 1166-1173. Print.
Ross., Julianne. 9 Facts Shatter the Biggest Stereotypes About People Who Are Fat. Mic. Mic.com. 19 June 2014. Web. 29 March 2016.
Washington., Reginald. L. “Childhood Obesity: Issues of Weight Bias”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 8.5 (2011): 1-5. Print.
