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Clear Prejudice Against Fat
People
The stereotypical view of the overweight held by society is
that they are unfeminine, antisocial, out of control, asexual,
hostile and aggressive . Zimberg
(1993) questions whether weight preoccupation would be a
problem for women if it did not exist alongside society's
clear prejudice against fat people. "Public derision and
condemnation of fat people is one of the few remaining social
prejudices... allowed against any group based solely on
appearance". It is assumed
that the obese willingly bring their condition on themselves
through lack of will power and self control. The
discriminatory implications of being overweight are well known
and are often accepted as "truths" in western
society. Fat oppression, the fear and hatred of fat is so
commonplace in Western cultures that it is rendered invisible
. Obesity is seen as a danger sign in
moralistic terms that may imply personality faults, weak wills
and laziness.
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Health
Risks of Obesity
The public is often less well informed about
the health risks of dieting and other weight loss strategies
such as liposuction or gastroplasty. Dieters have been known
to experience a wide variety of health complications
including cardiac disorders, gallbladder damage, and death . Diet-induced obesity has been considered a
direct result of weight cycling due to the body regaining
more and more weight after each diet attempt such that there
is a resultant net gain. Therefore, the
physical risks of obesity may be attributed to the
repetitive pattern of dieting that created the obesity
through a gradual net gain of weight after each diet
attempt. It is believed that the physical health risk in
people who repeatedly go through weight losses followed by
weight gains is likely greater than if they were to stay the
same weight "above" ideal
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