Why are People Judged for Being Overweight?

There is no escaping the fact that in the Western world, a slim, athletic body is preferable to one that is carrying too much weight. This is generally the case whether you're male or female, though women seem to have a harder time when they're overweight because there is still more pressure on women to conform to a particular body type than there is on men. Even though it may be true that everyone is judged by the way they look, it is also true that overweight individuals face much more negative judgement and that this can affect their whole life.

This is not an overstatement, because many overweight individuals find themselves being bullied and discriminated in every area of their life due to their size. For some, it starts from an early age, so that they are unable to enjoy school because of the constant taunts about their weight. This affects their confidence and may even contribute to further weight gain, especially if they seek comfort in food. Not everyone's weight problem begins in childhood, but for many this is the case, and they carry their weight issues and low self-esteem with them into adulthood.

Being overweight can therefore shape an individual's choices. There may be some confident overweight people, who can continue to be the life and soul of the party whatever their size, but other people struggle in social situations, worried that they are going to be picked on because of their size. Some overweight individuals therefore withdraw into their shell, too worried what other people think about them. It is one thing to say that you should just ignore negative comments, but it is an entirely different story when you're at the receiving end of them.

The trouble is that if you're overweight you're seen as a legitimate target for abuse, presumably because people have the impression that you have let yourself get into such a state, as they see it, and could easily change yourself if you wanted. The kind of people who judge you for being overweight are generally insensitive and ignorant and may be more interested in making their friends laugh than concerned about how their words could be hurting you.

In the media, overweight people are generally presented in a negative light – as being figures of fun who just sit around eating all day – whilst even serious news stories concentrate on how obesity is putting a strain on the economy and health services. There may be more overweight people than ever before, yet there still seems to be a certain degree of acceptability when it comes to judging and picking on overweight people. It's as though overweight people are less likely to be offended or something. More probably, it is that overweight people are less likely to stand up for themselves, having been subjected to abuse about their size for so many years.