Role of Appearance in the Hiring Process

This opinion has been challenged by both ethics campaigners and legal rights activists. Under the Human Rights Act, there are “protected” characteristics such as age, disability and race that offer legal protection against discrimination etc. There has been a campaign lately to include obesity as a protected characteristic for freedom from discrimination. 9 The European Court of Justice made a decision in FOA, acting on behalf of Karsten Kaltoft v

Film, television, and the media are a huge part of our culture. Especially in the modern age of technology, it is impossible for us to avoid being exposed it. It is on our phones, computers, and TV. It is our entertainment, a part of our education, and it serves as a reflection of our society. The problem with media, however, is that has the power in manipulating us to feel certain ways. The most problem of which is the way we perceive our own bodies. Leading media industries such as Hollywood sets. An example of the ideal body that we are expected to have in order to look good and be perceived as handsome or beautiful by society, but, behind the scenes, actors and actresses of Hollywood go to extreme lengths in order to attain that ideal look.

The following essay describes discrimination lawsuits brought up against the Hooters restaurant chain. Employees in Michigan filed suit and said they were discriminated for being overweight while employed as servers. According to Leanne Convery, who was one of the women who fired, she weighed 115 pounds at the time and four-feet-eleven at the time. She was encouraged to take stimulants such as Adderall and appetite suppressants to speed up weight loss (Foley, 2010). Hooters found a way to navigate the discrimination laws using bona fide occupation qualifications (BFOQ).

There are no questions to whether the media has influenced the self-consciousness people have on their body or not. Whether it is the front of a magazine cover or in a film or television show, the selection of models or actors are primarily thin or fit leading readers and viewers to worry or want to change the way their body looks. Body image is the way one sees oneself and imagine how one looks. Having a positive body image means that most of the time someone sees themselves accurately, and feels comfortable in their body; negative body image, what the media exemplifies for the majority of the time, is just the opposite. The media uses unrealistic standards of beauty and bodily perfection to drive ordinary people to be dissatisfied with their body image which can result in the search to obtain these unreachable goals.

If people are prejudged by weight it could discourage overweight and obese from participating in certain activities. An example of this is workplace discrimination. Rebecca Puhl who researches at the Rudd Center for Food Policy under Yale psychologist Kelley Brownell reports “overweight people are twenty six more times likely to report discrimination than their

The media group that retouches images skews the “normal” body image of people through many of its outlets, including models in advertising and magazines, and actors in TV and movie productions. “The average model portrayed in the media is approximately 5’11” and 120 pounds. By contrast, the average American woman is 5’4” and 140 pounds” (Holmstrom, 2004). This statistic shows how the media manipulates consumers into believing that because they are not what the average model looks like, they are not living up to a certain standard which implies that they need to look like that to be beautiful. Another research fact that shows a similar concept is that, “In the United States, 94% of female characters in television programs are thinner than the average American woman, with whom the media frequently associate happiness, desirability, and success in life” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This association of female thinness and happiness, desirability and success makes consumers believe they must achieve this unrealistic thinness to achieve more ultimate goals and fulfillment in life. “The media also explicitly instruct how to attain thin bodies by dieting, exercising, and body-contouring surgery, encouraging female consumers to believe that they can and should be thin” (Yamamiya et al., 2005). This idealization of thinness in the media is seen so much, and is extremely harmful to women’s self confidence and is often associated with body image dissatisfaction, which can be a precursor to social anxiety, depression, eating disturbances, and poor self-esteem (Yamamiya et al.,

Therefore, the commendation of such look and shape commercializes unhealthy body image and procreates eating disorders. Unfortunately, at present the commercialism of a perfect body is encountered by almost everyone on everyday basis. The public is bombarded daily with images of glamorously thin women in commercials, on billboards, in movies in magazines and etc?According to Melanie Katzman, a consultant psychologist from New York, the media has actively defined the thin ideal as success and treats the body as a commodity. (Rhona MacDonald, 2001) It is evident that the persistent advocating of the media and the society produced a constant pursuit of thinness, which became a new religion. A study conducted by Harvard researchers has revealed the effect of media and magazines on adolescent girls in high schools. The children were exposed to fashion magazines and television commercials, and a while after were given self-rating surveys. The study found that sixty-nine percent of the girls said that magazine pictures

Beauty standards are portrayed everywhere: on magazines, social media, ads, commercials, and even flaunted among peers. While the ideals are supposed to promote health awareness, fitness motivation, and self love, it unfortunately results in many unfavorable consequences. Women are constantly “penalized for not being beautiful and at the same time are stigmatized, even pathologized, for not feeling beautiful, for having low self-esteem, for engaging in behaviors like dieting and excessive exercising, or for having eating disorders” (Johnston and Taylor 954). Beauty standards are unrealistic and unhealthy to pursue, and misinforms the public on what true beauty is. While not all beauty image ideals promote negative feelings and dissatisfaction, many believe that the negative effects far outweighs any positive effects.

Today’s societal norms and popular culture instills the idea that being health conscious and exercising is necessary. Most Americans idealize the “perfect” body and will do anything to achieve this image. We, as an American public, are attracted to members of society who present themselves in a fit and healthy manner. Accordingly, there are many studies proving that active lifestyles will even increase work productivity, which can in turn create job promotions. However, what about workers who are not characterized as slender or in shape? Are they at a disadvantage compared to their colleagues? In class lecture, we discussed what archetypes and myths are and their relevance within cultures. Archetypes are defined as widely recurring actions, objects, or events with a powerful meaning. Myths are composed of these archetypes along with other powerful signs that are ingrained in society because they are constantly retold. Myths can impact our biases and standards unconsciously, as we become accustomed to these widespread narratives in our communities. Within many industries, the myth of weight discrimination in the workplace prohibits many employees from advancing in their careers. Based on my personal experience, the video, lecture, and book, the myth of workplace discrimination towards overweight individuals exists and is furthered because popular culture overemphasizes the ideal body type.

“To be happy and successful, you must be thin,” is a message women are given at a very young age (Society and Eating Disorders). In fact, eating disorders are still continuously growing because of the value society places on being thin. There are many influences in society that pressures females to strive for the “ideal” figure. According to Sheldon’s research on, “Pressure to be Perfect: Influences on College Students’ Body Esteem,” the ideal figure of an average female portrayed in the media is 5’11” and 120 pounds. In reality, the average American woman weighs 140 pounds at 5’4”. The societal pressures come from television shows, diet commercials, social media, peers, magazines and models. However, most females do not take into account of the beauty photo-shop and airbrushing. This ongoing issue is to always be a concern because of the increase in eating disorders.

Especially for young women but, men are also being faced with similar stereotypes such as being physical fit. Yet, obese people become stigmatized and discriminated in most areas of their lives. Often being affected in areas where they may not get a call back from a job interview, refuse services, or the harsh treatment of law. Negative attitudes about obese people have been found at both the implicit and explicit levels according to the (IAT), people endorse their own personal beliefs.

Between 1980 and 2002, the number of adults have doubled in obesity, and children have tripled. Discrimination due to obesity has spread throughout the countries. The definition of discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. Some people want to stop discrimination towards obese people. Considering there are so much discrimination and opinions, it is proven that many people are affected. In contrast, countless amount of people seem to believe that women are the main target of discrimination. There is research to show both sides of the issue.

Weight discrimination feels as bad as racial or religious persecution, but is not considered a protected class under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Rebecca Puhl, research scientist and lead author at Yale University states, “These results show the need to treat weight discrimination as a legitimate form of prejudice, comparable to other characteristics like race or gender that already receive legal protection”. Puhl’s co-author, Tatiana Andreyava , also of Yale, indicates that weight bias is more widespread than other well known types of discrimination. “However, despite its high prevalence, it continues to remain socially acceptable” (Obesity 2009).

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.

The outcome of the lawsuit was that Elsa Sallard received a compensation of $750,000. However in the US legislation there is nothing that explicitly protects people who are for example short, obese, simply do not meet society’s standards of beauty or exceed it in any way.