Mark Braboy
News Editor
Imagine waking up every day with a gigantic boulder on your shoulders and another one strapped against your legs (literally) as you enter a world where all razor sharp eyes are gauging the content of your character and your potential in life because of said boulders. Because of that added weight and judgment, you are in a war with yourself and the mirror for the sake of your self-esteem. This is the dilemma of many overweight and obese people in America.
Despite the state of Mississippi being ground zero for obesity in America, the perception of a person based on their size is almost as prevalent as the perception of a person based on their race.
The constant judgment and criticism happens everywhere ranging from every kind of social environment imaginable and even to the professional level such as school and in the workplace. And as a big person, this kind of social issue severely angers me, but it does not surprise me based on where this comes from.
This discrimination, also known as sizeism, stems from common stereotypes about obese and overweight people. Based on a poll from Glamour.com and my daily interactions with people, the most prevalent stereotypes are that we are all lazy, incompetent, undisciplined, smelly, slow, and passive. And perhaps the most common phrase I hear when it comes to big people is, “If they don’t care about themselves, then how can they care about me?”
Granted, you do have a small amount that fit some of these stereotypes, but overall this is not the case as you have many people who are obese or overweight that are just as productive if not more than their average sized counterparts.
I could easily bring up many articles about research studies that easily disprove these unreasonable stereotypes, but I will use myself as an example. I personally lead an intensely rigorous life on and off campus along with many of my overweight peers as an example. Also, there are a number of genetic and other health related reasons why people are the size they are that have nothing to do with overeating.
What is also alarming about the issue of sizeism, especially for those who attended the career fair yesterday, is how many employers look at us. According to statistics from the National Acceptance to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), weight and height discrimination is almost as prevalent as racial discrimination; bigger people get fewer promotions, and potentially can earn 6 percent less than regular size people.
Sizeism is still a social issue that affects us in more ways than many people would like to believe. Personally, it does not affect my self esteem as it once did because being big made me develop thick skin. However, I see how it affects a lot of my friends and family members on an emotional level. For many, it is like fighting a war with yourself.
We as obese and overweight people would just have to do what it takes to take care of ourselves both physically and emotionally. While there are some aspects, like the workplace, in which we cannot control on our own, we can control how we are on the inside. We have to dig deep within ourselves and embrace the positivity within us and take care of ourselves so we can overcome this shallow world we live in.
On the other hand, our peers, which is the biggest problem, have to give their tolerance, acceptance, and to be treated with the same equal respect as everyone else. We all have flaws and issues that we have to overcome that may or may not have anything to do with size, so the additional criticism, excessive judgment, and discrimination from a peer is not needed. It is critical you think about the malice of your actions because you do not know how it affects them in the long run.
What needs to be understood is that the size of a person does not tell the complete story of who they are. It is no different than the prominent racial discrimination that we see today and unless there is a change in the way we think, the world will continue to be harder and harder for us to survive in.
The views expressed in the commentary are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.
