We live in a society where physical appearance makes a huge impact in the workplace and we are judged instantaneously by the way we look, especially when it comes to weight. Weight discrimination is a topic most people don’t like to discuss simply because it’s embarrassing, hurtful and causes emotional distress for the obese individual. Fat shaming and stigmatizing is pervasive amongst children and adults. It’s common to see obese, even slightly overweight individuals often as targets of bias and stigma in every day lives. Women in particular, are susceptible to negative attitudes in multiple domains of living including places of employment, educational institutions, medical facilities, the mass media, and interpersonal relationships. These
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Obesity is stigmatized in our society and is associated with negative connotations such as laziness, unfit, dirty, and shameful and lacking energy to do anything even for themselves. Unfortunately, majority of obese people, especially women, are targets of mistreatment through verbal insults, jokes, and being socially excluded and ostracized. According to the Body mass index (BMI), obesity is anything above 30. Overweight women are more so evaluated negatively on job interviews and acceptance to college due to the physical unattractiveness associated with their weight. Canning and Mayer (1966) found that “obese (female) students, were less likely than non-obese students to be accepted to outstanding colleges” and therefore are overlooked for the position even if they did not differ from non obese on academic performance in high school, I.Q, S.A>T scores, involvement in school activities, and parental socioeconomic status, these results suggest that their obesity may have been a factor in the fate of their application. Stereotypes can lead employers not to hire an obese person. People who are obese are seen as “less desirable employees who, compared with others are less competent, less productive, not industrious, disorganized , indecisive, inactive and less successful.” (Larkin, …show more content…
Many studies have found that physical attractiveness affects the attributions people make about others (and vice versa). This tendency provides a specific example of what psychologists refer to more generally as the halo effect. The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which the perception that an individual possess one positive characteristic makes us more likely to believe that he or she also posses other (even unrelated) positive characteristics. “Specifically, when it comes to attractiveness, we tend to attribute to beautiful people other qualities including some that have nothing to do wit their looks, buying into a “what is beautiful is good” stereotype (Ashmore and longo, 1995;Dion, Berscheid, & Walster….). Meta-analyses have revealed that physical attractiveness has its largest effect on attributions related to social competence the beautiful are thought to be more sociable, extroverted and popular than the less attractive (Eagly et. Al., 1991 Feingold 1992b). They are also seen as more sexual and happier and more assertive. The “halo” provided by being good-looking extends to the online
Obesity is stigmatized in our society and is associated with negative connotations such as laziness, unfit, dirty, and shameful and lacking energy to do anything even for themselves. Unfortunately, majority of obese people, especially women, are targets of mistreatment through verbal insults, jokes, and being socially excluded and ostracized. According to the Body mass index (BMI), obesity is anything above 30. Overweight women are more so evaluated negatively on job interviews and acceptance to college due to the physical unattractiveness associated with their weight. Canning and Mayer (1966) found that “obese (female) students, were less likely than non-obese students to be accepted to outstanding colleges” and therefore are overlooked for the position even if they did not differ from non obese on academic performance in high school, I.Q, S.A>T scores, involvement in school activities, and parental socioeconomic status, these results suggest that their obesity may have been a factor in the fate of their application. Stereotypes can lead employers not to hire an obese person. People who are obese are seen as “less desirable employees who, compared with others are less competent, less productive, not industrious, disorganized , indecisive, inactive and less successful.” (Larkin, …show more content…
Many studies have found that physical attractiveness affects the attributions people make about others (and vice versa). This tendency provides a specific example of what psychologists refer to more generally as the halo effect. The halo effect is a cognitive bias in which the perception that an individual possess one positive characteristic makes us more likely to believe that he or she also posses other (even unrelated) positive characteristics. “Specifically, when it comes to attractiveness, we tend to attribute to beautiful people other qualities including some that have nothing to do wit their looks, buying into a “what is beautiful is good” stereotype (Ashmore and longo, 1995;Dion, Berscheid, & Walster….). Meta-analyses have revealed that physical attractiveness has its largest effect on attributions related to social competence the beautiful are thought to be more sociable, extroverted and popular than the less attractive (Eagly et. Al., 1991 Feingold 1992b). They are also seen as more sexual and happier and more assertive. The “halo” provided by being good-looking extends to the online