Why does society hate fat people

I think it’s more to do with the majority of people perceiving being fat as unattractive than anything else, as slim people who are ugly get treated like shit too.

I’m sure there was a study done around employment. If you were more beautiful and skinny you were more likely to get a job than being average looking and heavier. I will see if I can find it.

It’s an unconscious bias that the people aren’t really aware. Society treats people better if you meet social beauty standards. Another privilege some people aren’t aware of.

"Have you seen the number of nasty comments, from men AND WOMEN, about toned and fit women, saying that muscles make them look like men (as if) and a long list of insults I can't be bothered to repeat."

Not really.
I used to get a lot of videos of bodybuilders on my YouTube for some reason and I only saw those comments when the women had low voices and were quite obviously taking testosterone.
If you watch something like Body by Mark that shows a lot of women who lift weights there are no negative comments just about being 'toned and fit' and that toned look seems to be very fashionable at the moment.

Someone mentioned tattoos way up thread and it got me thinking.

I've been on MN 15 years and there have been many threads about people with tattoos.

Plenty of posts saying tattooed people look 'cheap, chavvy, thick, nasty, common' etc.

And a fair few of those posts were from MNetters who often posted in the diet topic about how overweight/obese they were.

No-one has the monopoly on hatred and judging others.

I know nobody asked but I feel like i need to say weight isn't just about food and exercise i eat less now and exercise more then I ever did and was stick thin for my whole life up until mid 30s i just couldn't put weight on then I got diagnosed with hypothyroidism, ended up on long term steroids and antipsychotics and peri menopause is rearing its ugly head now I have to eat less then 1000 calories a day to lose weight if I eat more then 1500 I gain weight. Its funny how my whole life id be shoving mcdonalds, pizzas, cakes, milkshakes, chocolate down my throat never exercised and people where like wow your so slim whats your secret. Now I barely eat and they look at me like cut out the pies fatty. Do you know what I've had today. Breakfast- protein shake, lunch protein shake, Dinner salad and a 2 egg omelette with tomato, mushrooms, spinach and a small handful of reduced fat cheese. Then a freddo for dessert. I've had 2 cups of tea with skimmed milk and no sugar. And 3 litres of water.

Tattoos? People buy tattoos because they like them. If others really don’t, that’s just the flip side.
It’s a tiny minority that get obese because they like the look/feel.
We are programmed to like healthy, fertile versions of humans.

It really isn’t.

I don’t think there are many people who are happy to sit next to a fat person on any form of transport, especially an airplane.

No, why would it touch a nerve exactly? Again you’re demonstrating that you have this delusional idea that overweight people occupy slim people’s minds more than they actually do. When in actual fact actually they’ll forget that person exists 3 seconds after the social interaction. Slim people don’t feel superior to fat people, the majority of the population are just now drawn to them in the same way they would towards slim or attractive person.

They’re the exceptions that prove the rule though aren’t they

I've never heard of people being abused in the street by strangers for eating a mars bar or carrying a football.

If these comments about society having an innate dislike of the overweight, how would celebrities such as Dawn French or (previously!) James Corden be so popular?
I believe perception is down to how the person presents themselves.

Is this a serious question?

People do judge those who eat junk food - UPFs are quite a new idea, but the judgement will come for that too.
As for sports injuries, it's difficult to quantify how much those people also save the NHS over the course of their lives.
Plenty of people DO judge driving when unnecessary e.g. able-bodied people who drive short distances they could walk or who bring massive cars into city centres.

Not trying to sound halo like here but I've never judged people on appearance, just something I've always felt a natural and ingrained part of me. For more important and relevant has been how people interact, their personality. I have of course been aware of physical features but they they haven't played a part in my opinions of them.

As someone who has been up and down on the scales as well, I think it's how we see ourselves that projects partly on how we're treated. Unfortunately there of course many who will judge and treat differently. Xxx

Being over weight potentially indicates that:

1. a person doesn't care about their health
2. a person doesn't care about their appearance.
3. a person has no self control.
4. a person is greedy.

All those things are personal traits that are less appealing.

I am not overweight as I care about my health, but I do fall under #2 that I don't care massively about my appearance. I am often in trackies with no makeup and hair looks messy. It's amazing how differently people treat me when I put on smart clothes, straighten my hair and wear make up. Which is odd as I feel far more comfortable and confident in trackies!

I don't think so - we don't look at wealthy people that way, and they hoard resources to a far greater (astronomically) extent. We fawn over and admire them .

No, I don't think it's to do with the cost to the NHS as you get the same attitudes across the western world including countries where health is more privatised.

Since I’ve slimmed down, I’ve noticed a big difference in how people treat me, especially men

Well yes, like I said. Some people don't enjoy looking at obesity and they don't fancy obese people. They may even been completely turned off by it to the point that it's a real ick for them. If men are friendlier to you now it's because they find you attractive, whereas before they probably didn't. That doesn't indicate that they hated you for being fat. Just that they didn't fancy you fat.

Touched a nerve did I @Nevs ?

I think it is historical. Greed and gluttony ( traits people associate with being fat) are 2 of the 7 deadly sins.

I don't see how weight is how we view attractiveness obviously if you're 20 plus stone thats not necessarily attractive but I don't think being skinny is attractive either especially as people age it really ages people and especially women its nice to have a bit of shape nobody wants to look like a ruler.

Because people are judgemental, nasty morons.

I can't even be bothered to read the OP, but by the title alone I just want to say 'are you kidding?' Society has never been more tolerant, accepting and non- judgemental of fat people than it is at present. You only have to look at TV adverts and models for chain store fashions etc now to see how far things have come in terms of acceptance and inclusion of overweight people.

And even if some people are still very critical of obesity, nobody hates anyone for it. It's the obesity itself they don't like, not the obese person. They don't enjoy looking at obesity and they are quite rightly concerned for the health and fitness implications of so many people these days. It doesn't mean they hate everyone walking around in fat bodies.