Obesity stigma can follow by you even when you're slim ...

---

Losing weight is often a momentous moment in any woman?s life, but it seems that other people don?t revel in that glory.
A new study has revealed that even when a woman loses a significant amount of weight, her friends, family and colleagues will still think of her as fat.

Even if you?ve gone from a size 20 to a size 12, the stigma of obesity never quite leaves you, say scientists, who stress that other people may still label you as greedy and lazy.

The unfair stigma was identified by researchers at Manchester University, along with their counterparts at the University of Hawaii and Monash University in Melbourne. Using volunteers to assess the outward appearance of women, some of whom had previously been fat, the scientists identified a definite obesity-related negativity. Even when the volunteers were complete strangers to the women being assessed, they still marked them down for having been fat before.

The 273 volunteers were asked to look at pictures of five women, all 31, and given notes about each. They then had to rate their attractiveness and asked if they liked them or not.

Of the five women, one had been slim all her life, another had been overweight all her life while the other three had previously been fat but had lost five stone to become a normal size.

Most volunteers regarded the woman who had always been slim as the most attractive, with the ones who had previously been obese but had lost weight lagging behind. Watching the volunteers, the scientists recorded that they also made negative comments about these women and had what they called ?fat prejudices?.

The researchers pointed out that the obesity stigma was so ?powerful and enduring that it may even outlast the obesity itself.?
They also highlighted how we as a society need to address our attitudes to obesity; after all, encouraging the obese to lose weight for their own health should be a positive thing.

Said Dr Kerry O?Brien from Manchester University?s School of Psychological Sciences: ?Many people who are perceived as ?fat? are struggling in vain to lose weight in order to escape this painful social stigma.

?We need to rethink our approaches to and views of weight and obesity. Given the great number of people who may be negatively affected by this prejudice, obesity discrimination needs to be reduced.?

Popular Posts

Jennifer Aniston shows flat abs ? no pregnancy there!

Jennifer Aniston has spent the better part of her adult life dealing with one question: Are you pregnant? Her usual response involves either ignoring the question or simply stating she?s not expecting. In the March issue of GQ, the actress, who just turned 43, adds another tactic to her arsenal ? showing off her amazing [...]

Men and women osteoporosis problem

Osteoporosis is quite a common condition, where the affected person?s skeletal structure weakens, causing the bones to break easily. This leads to an increased risk of fractures. In this condition, the Bone Mineral Density (BDM) reduces, the bone micro-architecture gets disrupted and the variety and amount of protein in the bones gets altered. This condition [...]

Too Much Cardio Can Cause More Harm Than Good

Do you dread going to the gym for what feels like hours at a stretch? Or do you avoid working out altogether because you just don?t have the time? Then what I?m about to tell you should be music to your ears: sometimes when it comes to exercise, less is more. It?s becoming increasingly clear [...]

Problems of breast development

Breast development can be an exciting and nervous time during a young girl?s life. Breast growth is one of the sure signs that a girl is becoming a woman. However, there are many physical and emotional issues which can create negative feelings during this highly sensitive time period in every woman?s life. Breast Development Facts [...]

Diaper rash remedies in home

Baby?s skin is the most sensitive and soft. At some time or another, most of babies do come down with diaper rashes despite our efforts to prevent them As the name implies, diaper rash is what appears in the area covered by a diaper. And almost every baby is affected by diaper rash at least [...]

devils dodgers sf giants rachel maddow gia la riots new jersey devils