The social repulsion associated with overweight has been used as a stimulus for children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly to engage in healthier habits.
Obesity is stigmatized in our media-driven society that places great value on wafer-thin bodies. Although research points to genetic origins of obesity, many people think that obese individuals are weak-willed people who should simply “close their mouths” and not eat that piece of chocolate cake thin individuals would painfully avoid. Worse, these misconceptions lead to rampant discrimination. According to Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, which interviewed 1,100 adults between 1995 and 1996 and again between 2004 and 2006, weight discrimination is as common as other discriminatory practices, such as racial discrimination.
Obesity is a disease. It increases the chances of hypertension, heart attacks, and diabetes. Nevertheless, the consequences of the obesity stigma can be as or even more harmful than the disease itself. Obesity may not only lead to psychological problems but can also affect academic, professional, and personal opportunities. This type of discrimination may be subtle or imperceptible, but it certainly exists at school when a fat child is the victim of bullying or in the workplace when employees hear supposedly funny comments about their bodies. Today, it is not uncommon to read about overweight people who might not be hired by a company, get into their dream college, or participate in a public event because of their body size. This is not to mention the resulting lack of confidence that may lead to depression or even suicide attempts.
Yet, despite its negative effects on obese people, the social repulsion associated with being overweight has been used as a stimulus for children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly to engage in healthier habits such as practicing sports and having balanced nutrition with less fat and more vegetables. Fat discrimination may indeed discourage some people from eating very unhealthy fast food, but it can cause serious harm to many more people. According to research conducted by the U.S. Center for Disease Control, more than 72 million U.S. adults and 16 million U.S. children are obese (body mass index of 30 or greater). Thus, if fat discrimination is encouraged, more than one third of the population in the U.S. might have to suffer the negative consequences of this social stigma.
Created in 1969, the non-profit National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) strives to eradicate size discrimination. With the motto “We come in all sizes,” the organization actively combats fat discrimination at school, in the workplace, and in the healthcare system. Recently, after First Lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of “Let’s Move,” a campaign to reduce childhood obesity, NAAFA urged the First Lady to fully examine existent research over child obesity in order to avoid methods that end up doing “more harm than good.” Among the alternatives advocated by NAAFA, for instance, is the “Health At Every Size” (HAES) philosophy, an approach that encourages healthy diets and activities not solely for obese people, but for everyone, given the shift in focus from “weight loss” to “health.”
The HAES philosophy, however, does not simply revolve around the political sector. HAES also encourages medical professionals to discuss healthy habits with their patients instead of prescribing drugs, especially questionable ones. A CNN report, for example, showed that pediatricians prescribe amphetamines used to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder to overweight patients because of the drug’s capacity to suppress appetite. Even though the “off label” prescription of medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration is not illegal, the decisions by these doctors are ethically – and medically – questionable. Thus, the HAES recommends that doctors focus on a patient’s health rather than a patient’s weight loss. If allied with “appropriate-sized medical equipment” and better communication between doctors and patients, HAES can help obese patients be treated with more dignity and compassion.
Fat discrimination is a harmful attitude, and it is now illegal in some areas. Through the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, Michigan became the first U.S. state to include “weight” into the categories of discrimination. Washington, D.C. prohibits discrimination on the basis of “personal appearance,” while the cities of San Francisco and Santa Cruz have legislation similar to that of Michigan. Weight discrimination can be injurious not only for discriminated individuals but also for entire communities. In Article 33 of the Code of the City of San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors asserts that “discrimination foments strife and unrest, and it deprives the City and County of the fullest utilization of its capacities for development and advancement.”
On the federal level, there are no laws about weight discrimination, but NAAFA strongly advocates amending Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which currently prohibits any sort of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. If an action of such legal magnitude happens, U.S. courts will be able to punish those who practice obesity discrimination. This measure will guarantee that obese people can report discriminatory acts to authorities and expect institutionalized sanctions for offenders. By doing so, another right will be awarded to every American: to be of any size.
Paul Coelho Filho is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College.
