As Nurturers Turn on the talk shows today and you see overweight people sharing the hurt and outright prejudice that they have suffered. The audience smugly tells them to diet and show some will power.
Discrimination can affect all overweight individuals, but it appears to be worse for women.
The overweight, especially women, are often characterized as weak, unattractive, and as losers. They suffer discrimination in education, their workplace, and have been denied adoptive rights. Overweight men, on the other hand, rarely receive the same kind of harassment. The stress that women feel trying to balance their lives makes them particularly vulnerable to overeating, leaving no time for exercise. Many women feel powerless and defenseless and tend to shut up and eat rather than cause open conflict.