‘Fat stigma’ goes global

“No fat chicks” is no longer the domain of Fark and Tucker Max types- it appears ill-will toward the obese is spreading globally at a rapid pace, according to a recent study.

The study, lead by Dr. Alexandra Brewis of the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, included more than 700 people in American Samoa, Tanzania, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Argentina, New Zealand, Iceland, England and the US. Researchers described a “rapid globalization” of hatred toward fat people by using a true/false questionnaire with queries about fat stigma. Questions included statements like “People are overweight because they are lazy” and “Some people are fated to be obese.”

Brewis said the health messages often were attached to a “negative moral message” about obesity, and the opinions were becoming rife in areas in which larger body types were previously viewed as desirable. The New York Times quoted a street vendor in Mexico their report on prejudice against the horizontally challenged:

“I have always thought that it’s your own fault,” said Sergio Miranda, 35, who has a shoeshine stand in Mexico City. “People eat just things that make them fat, like bread and pizza… The fatties take up a lot of space,” he said. “People are annoyed. It’s uncomfortable.”

The study was published in Current Anthropology.