Yale Daily News

While I personally don't discriminate based on weight, and understand that weight management is a very difficult issue for many people, this study raises a number of important questions.

Compared to other traits that frequently attract discrimination (race, age, gender, sexual orientation), weight is something that is within the control of the individual and one side is (for the vast majority of instances) unquestionably better than the other.

If we move to officially protect people from weight discrimination, does that give a tacit approval to being overweight? Shouldn't we, as a society, be encouraging peoplee to be healthy?

" “People in our culture believe that people get what they deserve,” she said. “So, since weight is seen as a controllable factor, people assume that [overweight individuals] have some sort of problem with them.”

Indeed, studies show that weight stigmatization is less severe in cases in which individuals’ weight is associated with factors outside their control, such as medical problems, instead of factors like overeating, Heuer said."

What about cases where being overweight is not within the individual's control? How do we distinguish cases of overeating or an unhealthy lifestyle from uncontrollable issues like medical problems and genetic factors?

in response to #1:

Of course we should be encouraging people to become healthier. As #2 highlights, we are rarely aware of the complex factors which might be contributing to a person's unhealthy weight and should also make sure that that person's rights are protected just like any healthy person.

We can 'encourage' those who could change their weight through lifestyle changes to do so in ways that are positive, supportive, and aware of the intrinsic difficulties of losing weight and maintaing weight loss. To protect against the discriminations listed in the article is not to encourage obesity but to prevent the situations where even more weight gain is likely due to adverse reactions to discrimination, prejudice, etc. and to make sure that our rights as human beings are being protected universally.

@#1: Weight discrimination is also frequently far more based on aesthetic than health concerns. More and more studies have shown that to be overweight (which is a BMI between 25 and 30; over 30 is obese) is not necessarily unhealthy and may in some cases be MORE healthy.

Unlike race or sexuality discrimination, furthermore, weight discrimination is virtually silent in the modern sphere. It is rare for a victim to speak up, because the fault for being fat is perceived as theirs (many times even by the victims themselves). Someone can go their whole life without realizing it's others' prejudice, rather than a personal failing.

Genetics may make it harder to lose weight, or precondition you to look a certain way (not everyone is tall and skinny), but losing weight is still not complicated: eat less, move more.

Weight is much less "under our control" than conventional wisdom would have you think. Also, it's perfectly possible to be fat and healthy, or thin and unhealthy; what DOES make a difference is a varied diet and exercise, but that does not necessarily make a naturally fat person thin, or vice versa (see 1-4 at this link for more info--hell, read the whole thing: http://kateharding.net/but-dont-you-realize-fat-is-unhealthy/).

In short, you can't judge someone's health by how they look, but damn if we don't like to try (and then congratulate ourselves for "helping" the person we're shaming). I agree with commenter 4: most weight-based discrimination is about aesthetics and cultural norms rather than anything resembling concern for other people's well-being. You can't hate people for their own good.

another thing to consider is that lifestyle choices such as overeating cannot be parsed out and isolated completely from genetic components of obesity. often severely obese individuals lack key hormones such as leptin that signal fullness to the brain, meaning that those individuals overeat because of biological qualities out of their control. but to the everyday witness, overeating seems like a completely voluntary action. as research on obesity continues to grow, we are finding out more and more that genetics influences thought and action in some very invisible ways.

I have been heavy for much of my life and for the last several years 'normal' weight. I am also 'unattractive' w/a large nose. Discrimination against unattractive people is prevalent but is not just limited to weight but also other physical characteristics. Are we going to pass laws to prevent that kind of discrimination?

Everyone in my family is overweight, so one might say genetics are not in my favor. I was fat for most of my life, but decided to work out more and eat less. IT'S A MIRACLE, I LOST WEIGHT! I know I sound judgemental or mean, but I want to dispel this notion that some people are doomed. Ok, yes genetics plays a role in being overweight; yes, genetics will also be a large factor as to how difficult it will be to lose weight, but the equations is still the same: East less, excercise more = weight loss. It's not a matter of whether you still "feel" hungry or not. It takes discipline, which is why weight loss is hard. One may never look as skinny as Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt, but one can certainly shed serious pounds. All you have to do is watch that TV show "The Biggest Loser" to see that EVERYONE can lose weight, despite genetics.

The simple truth is that there is discrimination based on aesthetics in every form, not just with regards to weight. "Ugly" people will experience similar discimination. "Beautiful people" have an easier time with just about everything. We haven't had a President under 5'9 in how long? I can't even tell you how many times I've heard people joke about Bloomberg being short. Let's face it people, not everyone is treated equally. Welcome to life.