Survey for a paper regarding weight dicrimination

[Martist]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to this forum and have read some interesting threads so far. I hope this is the right place for this post.

I am finishing college and am writing my final research paper on weight discrimination. My thesis revolves around the idea that negative attitudes toward larger that average people compound the problems that we already face. Solid research into the concepts of weight bias is a relatively new field, and negative attitudes toward overweight people seem to be an accepted form of prejudice.

I have struggled with my weight all of my life, going up and down. This paper is something that I feel passionate about and personally qualified to write.

I invite anyone who wishes to share experiences where they felt they have been the target of weight based discrimination. This will help me get some real "word on the street" material for my paper. I am also posting a similar survey about weight bias in an athletic forum to see how the answers differ between the groups.

So, please share and thanks in advance if you do!!

 

[maleficent]

this thread discussed image...
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/off-topic/16160-your-image-hurting-your-career.html

My own comment still holds true

Even at my heaviest weight - 383+ lbs -my employer had no issues at all putting me front and center in front of 100s of potential customers to do a demo of a product.. I had very good presentation skills, could maintain eye contact, read my audience and change the demo basedon body language feedback i was being given... and basically - (and this is going to sound odd coming from me) but I could wow 'em and dazzle 'em - I had enough personality and confidence in my work ability and the ability to get people to like me it was not a problem what I weighed.

there's no discrimination weight wise i the workplace -however, in personal life -i think shallowness comes more into play but people can't help what they are attracted to - short/tall/bald/scrawny everyone has their own thing

A weight bias in the grown up world -not talking high school here - is really imagined more than anything else... Fat people, and I'm one of them, have a lot of self loathing, and that self loathing radiates out from them... and people pick up on it and respond to it...


A weight bias in the grown up world -not talking high school here - is really imagined more than anything else... Fat people, and I'm one of them, have a lot of self loathing, and that self loathing radiates out from them... and people pick up on it and respond to it...

I think it's Eleanor Roosevelt that's quoted as saying -no one can make you feel inferior without your consent - and that's extremely true ...

 

[Martist]

thanks for the reply, and I hope they keep coming.

I am glad that you feel that your weight has not been a factor in your job. Like I said there hasn't been alot of research into this, and you are right that a lot of self-loathing on the behalf of overweight people could be projecting the whole thing.

That wouldn't explain a study that was done, in which identical resumes were sent out to prospective employers, only differing in the attached photo. The resumes with photos of overweight people got 20% fewer calls than the "normal" group. So maybe there is something more than self-projection going on here. There are also some corporations with established height and weight guidelines for their employees.

I think you have been fortunate to not have been impeded in your success. I'm sure that your self-confidences had more than alot to do with it.