Discrimination Against Overweight Women example essay topic

Discrimination is present in our culture today. From racism to sexism, hate and superior complexes of certain groups still stand strong. One of them is the discrimination of women. This wart has always been on society skin and still is prevalent today. Although many steps have been taken to give equal rights to women, it is one of great struggle and is very tough to change old views of some of the less con vincible people of this society.

Sadly the discriminatory subject has been superficial; specifically weight issues. This discriminatory behavior has made this time period we live in today to become an age of eating disorders. These diseases of the mind and body are detrimental both physically and psychologically to the women today. Although most women in America are overweight this is a problem that is eating up our society today.

The denial of the presence discriminatory behavior towards overweight women is a fallacy. There are many women everyday in this culture that are ostracized and mistreated because of their physical appearance. Many hate crimes are reported in schools everyday about overweight girls being made fun of and to the point of physical abuse from peers and teachers alike. These events are hidden by school officials who try to cover these stories in this moral elite society. Although many attempts have been made to cover up the dirt in our society there is too much to clean up. Women today in America are getting discriminated more than ever in the workplace, stores, and dating scenes because of how they look to the point that stereotypes have been made about woman who are heavier.

They are made out to be lazy and not hard workers. These stereotypes have taken their toll on many women causing health problems and depression. The social life of an overweight woman can be tough. In a survey of 100 men 20-25, they were asked if they would date a heavy set woman. The response was staggering, 87% of them said no. In my own research I asked 30 men who they would rather date.

I had a before and after picture of a woman who had lost weight. 90% of the 30 men chose the slender picture. It was sad that superficiality was so prevalent in these men. In a study of social patterns done by college undergraduates it was shown that the more "slender" female was, the more her date liked her. It didn't matter how well educated or how well she could carry a conversation. Personality had no factor; it was purely based on looks alone.

The study also showed that overweight woman had a tremendously lower amount of dates than their counter parts (slender women) and had much dissatisfaction in their relationships. Dating services have also seen this recent trend on body type. Many men filed that they enjoyed their date and felt the woman they were with were great but wouldn't go out again solely because of their "excess" weight. Some studies go contrary to the research that men generally like slender women. They show that these men only reject or discriminate against overweight woman because they are afraid of what their peers may think. According to the survey done by the NA AFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, men who admire heavier women are frustrated because of the lack of acceptance by their peers when dating "fat" women.

Our society clearly portrays a disliking for women who are overweight. Not only does the weight of women affect them in their social life but discrimination is present when they are out shopping. From grocery to retail clothing stores women who are overweight are mistreated. In a recent study it showed that out of 46 stores visited 97% of the time, the woman who was heavier was helped after the woman who was slender even though they entered at the same time.

And when the heavier woman entered first, 91% of the time she was still helped after the slender subject. In my own research I asked 30 overweight women in a "bbw (big beautiful women) " chat room in America online if they found it hard to find good service in retail stores, 27 of them answered yes. This discrimination has put a burden on the lives of these women making life harder and giving them stress that is not needed. This view of overweight women of has come upon the work force, creating jobs for the slender more "fit" woman. This discriminatory behavior has led to highly educated and qualified women to settle for jobs that paid less and needed no or little qualifications. Basically these overweight women have to settle for a job at McDonalds rather than a job in a corporate office.

An overweight woman will lose a job to a slender woman 86% of the time for a job that requires a college education. In my research, I showed 30 men and 26 women a before and after picture of a woman who lost weight and I asked who they would hire and why. 43 people picked the after picture saying that the woman in the first picture seemed lazy. Roehling a professor at Western Michigan University reviewed 29 research studies and found that "Overweight persons were frequently stereotyped as emotionally impaired, socially handicapped and as possessing negative personality traits". He also found that "wages of mildly obese white women were 5.9 percent lower than standard weight counterparts; morbidly obese white women were 24.1 percent lower, according to two studies.

In contrast to females, morbidly obese white and black men were higher than their standard weight counterparts". A study in a New England Journal of Medicine showed that the heaviest 3% of women had household incomes averaging 6,710 dollars lower than that of women who weighed less than them. This discrimination has become so present in today's society that laws have been made so that these women can have equal opportunities as that of more slim women. These laws have been enacted in the state of California, Michigan and Washington DC, that jobs cannot be given on the basis of weight. Although many states don't have the same laws in place; a movement is taking place so that America may not discriminate against overweight women. Sadly the weight of women is an important factor in the hiring for a job.

Many things can be blamed for the brain washing of this generation to discriminate against overweight women. The discrimination of overweight women continues to grow and is fed by the media. One of the biggest influences on today's society as far as, shaping peoples beliefs and thoughts is the presence of the media. Television and blockbuster movies have affected the lives of women everywhere. They show slender women to be sexy, provocative and more appealing than women who are overweight.

They show slimmer women to be brighter and have them in the limelight while dimly portraying overweight women. In music videos a slim waist line is flaunted all over the television screen. Other mass media such as beauty magazines, from Cosmo to seventeen, they only have women who are slim. They grace the cover to the advertisements. These magazines are filled with subject like "A brand new diet,"how to look slim and fit", and last but not least "Look great for the summer". Looking great is correlated with being skinny.

Sadly the super model body type is only 5% of our population but our society calls the rest of the 95% to have the same body type. An American writer Allen Ginsberg said "whoever controls the media controls the culture". It is scary how a society can be influenced to the point of discriminating against one group. This discrimination against overweight women is a recent trend. Before heavy set women were praised and thought highly of because weight showed wealth. Also, it was known that overweight women could bare more children than slender women.

But now it has almost become a sin to be overweight. There is discrimination even by male doctors to their female patients. Doctors prescribe diet pills even though they were never asked for. They give lectures one Diet and healthy eating even to those who have a healthy lifestyle but just cannot lose the weight. All this has caused women who are overweight avoid the doctor's office. They don't schedule appointments even though they are really sick.

Humiliation is worse than physical sickness to these women. If a women who is overweight suffers from high blood pressure, ulcers, and fatigue, the weight is always blamed even though these diagnoses are more likely from stress in their lives. These overweight women, who are the majority, so women in general, are living with this guilt of being overweight. They constantly bombarded with advertisement of model figures and pressured to look the same. These women face discrimination in the work place to simple things in life like dating and shopping. There is no where to hide from the pressure of society wanting them to be thin.

This discrimination of weight is very prevalent today and it is hard not to find it in all aspects of these women's lives. Striving for the perfect weight has left physical and mental scars and today's woman. Starving themselves and excessively exercising to the point of over exhaustion. This discrimination has built eating disorders in the lives of young women in America and is a continuing force in creating psychological disorders in these women. The truth is 95% of women do not have bodies of a typical supermodel.

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