Obesity in America is a health issue which needs to be addressed, but many do not realize that obesity is an issue that needs to be addressed in more ways than one. Because Americans are not knowledgeable in the issue of obesity, many in society view obese people as unhealthy and irresponsible and treat them with disrespect. How to overcome and prevent obesity, its causes, and different treatments are all ways that obesity needs to be addressed; however, the disrespect towards those who are obese is another significant reason why obesity must be confronted. Misconceptions of obesity have led to prejudice towards the obese; therefore, comprehensive education of obesity is needed to reveal a downfall of civility evident in weight stigma and discrimination related to obesity. For years, obese people have dealt with discrimination and stigma related to their weight. One example of this is a YouTube video posted by comedian Nicole Arbour entitled “Dear Fat People.” Throughout this video, Arbour rants about fat people, fat shaming, and obesity. She blames people and their bad choices for their obesity and speaks brutally to them. She states in her video, “Fat shaming is not a thing. Fat people made that up.” She also asks obese people, “Are you going to tell the doctor that they’re being mean and fat shaming you when they tell you, you have (explicit) heart disease?” Arbour’s video is just one example of the stigma related to weight that people experience.
Obesity does not discriminate against social status, sex, or race; it can take a person’s life and turn it upside down in the blink of an eye if they are not careful. Some people think of obesity as a worldwide killer because there is no outrunning it if it overtakes a person’s body. Every 1 in 3 adults are obese right here in America, that should give each and every individual some type of hint that there is a major problem occurring. The obesity epidemic is not something that has just caught the attention of people recently; it has been going on since the 1950’s! This epidemic is a major problem; over 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or extremely overweight and over 40 million children were said to be obese in
The clinicians in the document say that if obese were replaced with racial or gender markers more people would speak out about the unfair treatment. Most of the outward prejudices of people living with obesity are from assumptions, obese people are assumed to be lazy, no self-control, and weak. People assume that obese people simply cannot stop eating. Biases and stigma come from all areas, family and friends, strangers, and in the workplace. Some interviewees in the documentary expressed feelings of not having a safe place.
According to the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics, “the prevalence of morbid obesity appears to be growing particularly fast, where an estimated 6.6 percent of the United States population falls into that category” (Leahey 2). In looking at the statistics, the United States appears to be in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Not only does this epidemic give the United States an unhealthy reputation, but it also presents obesity in a generally negative manner. “Morbid Obesity is a Disability” by Helen Leahey addresses the implications of obesity in the work force by suggesting many overweight employees are experiencing weight discrimination.
Obesity is becoming more and more prominent in our country. In today’s society it is not rare to see someone who is obese, it is America’s epidemic. The pressure to be thin is at its highest and many people across America are found in a battle against their own body. Shaming people for being obese is growing in our country. Media and doctors are telling us that being fat is not tolerable.
Life deals us with different obstacles we must overcome. Some are psychological, some are physical, the worse are the ones that spiral out of control. The article focuses on the people that suffer from obesity. Written by Gina Kolata for the New York Times, titled Why Do Obese Patients Get Worse Care? Many Doctors Don’t See Past the Fat. I will analyze Human behavior theories and perspective, and what can be done to prevent such stigma towards the obese.
Furthermore, these individuals subside the average person due to their obesity; a disease that affects 70% of American adults. Consequently, this disease causes an increasing amount of heart diseases, strokes, high blood pressure, and diabetes in our current community. It is agreed upon our society that these individuals who suffer of obesity have been looked down upon and are put at risk of discrimination regardless of how hard we try to end it. To make the problem worse than it already
First of, I'd like to talk about obesity, its troubles, and how we can hopefully fix this problem. Nearly all prejudicial attitudes are now taboo in America. Sixty years ago, it might have been acceptable to deny someone a job or service
In the American culture, obesity is seen as a bodily abnormality and deviance that should be corrected. Obesity has indeed become one of the most stigmatizing bodily characteristics in our culture (Brink, 1994). In the Western culture, thinness does not just mean the size of the
Despite that fact that obesity has begun to receive major attention in the past decade, there is a yawning gap between what is perceived and what is reality. In a North Carolina study, it was found that almost one-third of overweight Blue Cross Blue Shield members identified their weight as just right (Ward-Smith, 245). Clearly, people are unwilling to recognize that obesity has become a major problem in our country. Despite public service announcements and other methods of advertising the disease, the effects of this disease on overall health are continually underappreciated. As a result, obesity continues to be allowed to define our
There is a cultural stigmatization with obesity. When one thinks of obesity, they think the obese person has no motives and are lazy and do not value achievement as much as one that is not. Obese people are also viewed negatively in the media. Because one out of every five American children ages 6 to 19 are obese, children are also psychosocially affected. This can cause children to bully students who look like what these people who are negatively viewed in the media, obese. Because of how obese people are treated socially, it can lead to depression.
The everyday routines of life can and will be more difficult if encumbered with obesity.
Obesity problems, which one-third of Americans struggle with, is a “HUGE” problem in our society, no pun intended. The problems they encounter are numerous, including being bullied, low self-esteem, and often are the subject of jokes, such as the one often used by children, “fatty, fatty two by four, can’t get in the kitchen door!”. Being obese not only comes with mental and social issues, but there are also health and financial problems - whether you are not able to get a job because of the way you look or develop health issues such as heart disease or diabetes. Having to purchase two plane tickets because the seats are too small for an obese person is an unfair practice.
There are many problems in the world today, not the least of which is obesity and rising unhealthy habits. Society has been warned since they were young that obesity can cause major health problems, but that apparently means nothing to them. There is a measure called the body mass index, or BMI, which calculates a relationship between weight and height. A BMI of 25-29.9 is considered over weight and anything higher than that is considered obese. In the 1990’s a significant rise in overweight and obesity occurred, likely due to extended time in front of computers and televisions, the prevalence of supersized food at restaurants, and bad nutrition after leaving your parents’ home to start your own life. Technology has made our lives easier, there is no doubt about that, but there is no excuse for being morbidly obese. Stigmatization, or shaming, those that are not the norm has been around as long as man has existed. It is one of
Weight discrimination “generally refers to negative weight-related attitudes toward an overweight or obese individual” (Puhl 1). Obesity numbers started to skyrocket in the 1990s and weight discrimination started to become a problem about five years later. Obese individuals are susceptible to weight discrimination at health care facilities, school, work, and even in personal relationships. Studies have found that the chances of experiencing weight discrimination increase the more an individual weighs. “In our study, 10 percent of overweight women reported weight discrimination, 20 percent of obese women reported weight discrimination and 45 percent of very obese women reported weight discrimination. men were lower, with 3 percent of overweight, 6 percent of obese and 28 percent of very obese men reporting weight discrimination. This finding also tells us that women begin experiencing weight discrimination at lower levels of body weight than men” (Puhl 2). For women weight discrimination is more common than race discrimination.
Obesity refers to the condition of having an extra amount of body fat. Obesity is caused by eating too much and moving too little. When an individual’s amount of body fat becomes too high, they are at a greater risk of being affected with life changing diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, type II diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and others. This shows that people should become more physically active and attempt to make healthier choices because their life depends on the decisions, they make.