Fat bias exists

Wow, I hope you’re not still friends

Oh no, my fault I think, sorry, was answering on the go! Yes I will let you have that one, it certainly happens!

That wasn’t the post I was referring to! Oh dear.

Being overweight is tough because it's so visible. I had a platonic friend who was an alcoholic to the point where he regularly wet himself either at home or in other peoples homes, he was a heavy smoker who didn't clean his teeth for decades and then required a lot of dental work to save his teeth. However he said some really unkind things to me when I gained a lot of weight and told me he was embarrassed to be seen with me. I had a lot of empathy for his struggles but he didn't have much for me or mine. I think perhaps because he could just about present the image he wanted to the outside world while I was obviously fat and my struggles were apparent.

I think in the end he was projecting his own fear and shame onto me and I think we see that in society at large as well when it comes to attitudes to bigger people.

Its nothing to do with what I do or don't want to hear, I am lucky enough not to be overweight. There is a big difference between 'pretending otherwise' and needlessly telling an elderly person who has admitted being overweight that they are likely to die from it without knowing anything about them, or what they have been through, or what their health issues may or may not be.
Stop making assumptions about people

Its nothing to do with what I do or don't want to hear, I am lucky enough not to be overweight. There is a big difference between 'pretending otherwise' and needlessly telling an elderly person who has admitted being overweight that they are likely to die from it without knowing anything about them, or what they have been through, or what their health issues may or may not be.
Stop making assumptions about people

It might not be what you want to hear, but it does happen and to pretend otherwise is just kidding yourself and naive.

What's your point here. Are you suggesting that fat bias is justified because fat people cost society more than thin people?

Your list is interesting. I think there is huge stigma attached to smoking, excessive drinking, unprotected sex, anorexia, poor driving etc. You can be sectioned/locked up for some of these.

Occasional drinking, skiing and extreme sports can bring health benefits.

Where people have accidents there can be a cost to the NHS but we are talking about very small numbers and the costs are vanishingly small compared to the cost of obesity.

It's not always a killer actually. In some cases it is but the correlation is comically and it is perfectly possible to be overweight and healthy. Its also unhealthy to drink, smoke, be stressed, ski, drive fast, do extreme sports, be too thin, have unprotected sex, off the top of my head, but these don't come with the same sort of stigma because they are usually not externally visible.
What you said was horrible. I'd rather be overweight (I'm not btw) than be somebody who thinks its OK to say something like that.

Yes! Unkind at first glance, perhaps, but true.

Obesity is a killer, and a drain on resources at best, and pretending that it's anything else is doing no favours to anyone.

I feel for anyone struggling with their weight, and support anything that would help. This doesn't include 'self acceptance' and 'body positivity', however, although nobody should be made to feel that their worth as a person is lessened.

I carry myself differently when I'm slimmer - I'm more confident and I think that can be attractive. When I'm a bit bigger, I'm less comfortable in my own skin. I wonder if that has something to do with it.

Comparing being fat to paralysed people in wheelchairs etc is too much. Yes there will be the usual clamour of medical conditions that can cause extra weight (yay, got stuff that does that), but let's not pretend that in the vast majority of cases there aren't practical steps that could be taken to improve the weight situation. There are practical implications and consequences that stem from being unhealthily overweight, those pretending otherwise are disingenuous. Should anyone be treated poorly for appearing overweight? HELL NO. Should we expect life to be tougher if seriously overweight, practically yes it will be in numerous ways, however harsh that might seem. It is known to be unhealthy. Doctors advise against it for reasons and usually it can be addressed.

I'm sure bias against overweight people exists but the obesity epidemic has also generated higher costs for everyone- bariatric equipment in the NHS, extra nursing costs to safely move someone, someone using 2 seats on the bus when they only paid for 1, and clothing manufacturers making a much wider range of sizes - which increases unsold stock, pattern design costs and a size 10 is priced the same as a 20 despite the 20 using more fabric and taking longer to construct (and yes I know wholesale fabric & labour are cheap but when it's a global retailer ordering 10s of thousands of units it adds up)

I know it exists but I haven't experienced it as far as I know, having been a size 18 all my adult life. I wouldn't have wanted men to be interested or women to only talk to me because I'm slim. Now I'm losing the weight, I'm older and have resting bitch face so still unapproachable 😀. Also a southerner in a working class northern town which means I can't cope with their cheery and friendly ways anyway.

Wow did you mean to say that out loud

Morally its fairly disgusting behaviour though

Blasted phone,we didn't have "criminal changing rooms" they were communal.

I see some posters have said that they were overweight and lost weight,are treated differently now, and were perceived to be invisible before. I think it's because we don't want to be thought of as staring or judging or embarrassing,so we ignore instead. It works both ways . When I started nursing we had criminal changing rooms, I had acne, people used to recoil from the spots on my body and at 6.5 stone,"Ew, aren't you thin". I was actually very ill with a non functioning gall bladder.

No, it’s not. It’s only illegal to discriminate based on the protected characteristics. However you would have to be careful that it didn’t overlap with a protected characteristic because then it could be indirect discrimination eg would hiring only attractive people be ageist (if the hirer viewed older people as less attractive), or it could potentially be disability discrimination if you didn’t hire someone with cancer because you wanted someone with beautiful long hair etc. But if you’re hiring a receptionist and you have to choose between two people where there is no overlap with protected characteristics, and you choose the more conventionally attractive one for that reason, that’s (legally!) fine.

Maybe, but its still a horrible thing to admit to

What nonsense, there are many reasons why somebody may be overweight and as previous posters have pointed out science has repeatedly shown that it is not down to willpower. The link between health and weight is also far from straightforward.
People can be all sorts of things that affect their ability to do a good job, lazy, mean, irresponsible, without it showing in their external appearance. Perhaps you could consider that somebody who is overweight has suffered discrimination and has had to work extra hard to be taken seriously and included, so is likely to be hard working, resilient and eager to please.

You would be wrong. Appearance is not a protected characteristic.

Walk into any big city firm, hotel etc and look at the people on reception.

"If I was employing someone as a receptionist I would discriminate based on appearance."
Then I hope you are not in a position to do so as I think that would be illegal

It definitely exist, but also I imagine, in my case, it’s also a wee my own insecurities