Why does society hate fat people

[welshcakes4]

For most of my 20s, I struggled with being overweight, mainly because of my unhealthy eating habits and not exercising enough. I definitely turned to food for comfort, especially when I was feeling down. I’ve never really been a drinker, smoker or taken drugs, so food was my go to. I’m 32 now and I’ve completely changed my life around. I’ve adopted a much healthier lifestyle and lost 4 stone, which has made me feel so much happier. Since I’ve slimmed down, I’ve noticed a big difference in how people treat me, especially men, but women too. Their attitudes have shifted, and they seem a lot friendlier now. I know this is a bigger issue, just look online and you’ll see all the nasty comments and jokes about overweight people. I came across one earlier, and it was surprisingly the women who were being vile.

It’s fine to disagree with someone’s choices. I guess the same could be said for alcoholics, drug addicts, etc, but why all the hate and vitriol? Why are we treated like second class citizens? We’re not bad people, we just have our struggles with food. We haven’t killed or harmed anyone. It’s so strange to me that people can get so worked up and angry over someone being overweight. I’ve genuinely never understood this.

All sorts of reasons, I think- linking of overweight with morality (fat=greedy), linking of social status with physical attractiveness, people's own disordered relationships with food being played out on other people's bodies...

Cue some idiot coming on here to tell you that the different treatment is just down to your increased confidence in three...two...one....

It’s disgust at their appearance and the habits they assume have led to the person being overweight, thinly disguised as concern for their health.

They’ve not matured from being the school bullies they used to be on the playground.

I’ve lost and gained 10st+ twice now. I have had the same experience you have. I’ve always thought it’s part of the reason I’ve put the weight back on. I’m naturally anti-social and don’t like any attention! You’re either disliked or invisible when overweight, which has rather suited me in the past.

I lot similar amount of weight a few years back and omg the difference in how I was treated was mind blowing. My biggest were medical personnel. They stopped patronising me and listened to what I was saying.

Wanted to add I wasn’t that big. Size 14-16

I think it might be something to do with nature, going right back to primal instincts when people lived in tribes.

A fat person would've probably eaten more than their fair share and not been able to hunt as well as more athletic people, thus not 'giving back' much to the rest of the tribe.

Just one of many theories.

I've heard it also that fat=weak willed so if people can't control what they put in their mouths, then somehow they are judgement impaired. (Not my view, heard it on a TV programme)

Well there is the direct cost to society and hence people’s tax bills and how much of NHS resources get used up probably doesn’t help

and it is natural - innate - to feel disgust at ill health -

it’s the same thing at play with racism and sexism and ableism so I don’t know why you are surprised

There’s a moral thing - equalling lazy, lack of self-control and discipline, greedy, boring, no interests, excess spending, poor judgment, a bit stupid.

Maybe jusr perceived attractiveness. Presumably the more attractive you are the better you are treated…

My weight has fluctuated over the years. In some ways you're invisible when you are heavier. Over looked, ignored. I think a lot of judgements are made within seconds. Weak willed, lazy, unfit, greedy. You only have to see accusations about the weight loss injections - cheating, lying, they'll put it all back again. What does it matter, it's working for them.

I think 'getting fat' is a fear for some people they don't want to face. It's as if it is contagious and they can actually catch 'fat'. When slimmer you can prove you are in control and are the norm. I remember my mother who was always on some mad grapefruit diet or 70s F plan or whatever - she refused to watch Roseanne (popular early 90s Amercian sitcom) because they were too fat and looked disgusting.

Of course people will hop on here and say - it's all in your (my) head and they have been big and small and there was no difference.

The confidence argument always pisses me off. Not a single one of the blokes who drove past me while calling me a fat cunt or Miss piggy had any idea how confident I was or wasn’t, neither did the people walking past me in the street at a fast clip while hurling insults.

Some People see a weakness and pounce on it and fatness is seen as a weakness, I think others are actually afraid that ‘there but for the grace of god go I’ and choose to express this with disdain for what they are afraid of becoming, some are just thick as pig shit.

I was obese from age 11-41, now I’m 42 and size 10/12 and the difference in how I’m treated is like night and day. It’s made me actively dislike a number of people who are suddenly nice to me after my waistline has reduced, I can’t see them as anything other than petty, mean-spirited unpleasant people.

It's the same if you're underweight by the way.

My brain tumour costs society and the NHS far more than my weight; why don't people judge me for that instead?

It’s womens reactions that surprise me the most.

They can't know that by looking at you. People will unfortunatly make judgements on what they can see. It will always be that way.

It is not exclusive to fat people, that’s your experience of society because you are overweight. They are against working class people, people who are not white, alcoholism, drug addiction, anything outside the standard of what they consider to be good.

This is a generalisation, but there have been countless studies that have shown people generally respect others more if they demonstrate a high level of self respect for themselves. This can show itself in many ways. Being well groomed, well dressed, strong work ethic, well balanced confidence and overall strong control of one’s impulses and behaviour. Along with self care of their body, fitness and health.

Subconsciously, as a society we associate overweight people with negative personality traits. Such as laziness, greed, lack of willpower, and not respecting one’s health or body. Being overweight is medically unhealthy, there have also been countless studies which show we are drawn and attracted more to ‘healthy’ looking people.

As mentioned, this is a generalisation. But even though as humans we evaluate each person at their own merit, generalisations can linger subconsciously at the back of our minds. Socially it’s morally wrong to judge and we should treat people without bias, however humans are a very flawed race.

The NHS cost making people disgusted with and rude to overweight people doesn't seem likely to me or people would be disgusted with people who do anything risky that results in injury or illness eg skiing holidays, eating ultra processed foods, driving, having children, playing rugby etc.

And so it’s ok to be rude to people in the street because you worry about your tax bill. Are you also rude to the elderly and the mentally unwell? Also huge cost to the NhS.

I didn’t have one single day off work when I was overweight. I am a very healthy person who don’t even know the name of my GP. The few times I went to see one was for HRT and for my children’s health.

It's not a secret that more attractive people are treated better than less attractive people. For most people, being overweight is not attractive. I'm not saying it's right, but it be.

I've had exactly the same experience OP. Not sure what it is but it definitely exists 🤷‍♀️

I think it's simply because you can't hide it. Many other things that people might be judged for are much easier to hide or minimise and so people you encounter daily haven't got a clue. Not possible if you are obese. The kind of judgemental berk who likes to make comments or treat people they dislike badly then has the perfect opportunity to make a judgement and be judgemental.

Exactly what the rationale for the judgey attitude depends on the person. As previous posters have said, people have (wrong) ideas about morality, laziness, lack of "willpower", disordered eating/food behaviours themselves, judginess based on how attractive people are ..... plus this idea that fat people are taking more than their fair share which I've seen posted about on MN more than once now, so it's an evolutionary adaptation to dislike fat people! Despite the fact that in many cultures being overweight especially for women is seen as reproductively advantageous.

Blimey, did you change sex, too? (Lighthearted - sort of - because it’s true that women, regardless of their weight, are negatively affected by the training received by Doctors to minimise so-called “women’s problems” in health)…