Turns out that people can get away with weight discrimination and it is on the rise. This is the sad truth, according to a study published in the International Journal of Obesity. What's most disturbing about the Yale researcher's findings is that biases begin with a BMI of 27 and if your BMI is 30 or above you are three times more likely to pay the price. To put that in plain English, that means if you are 5'5" and weigh 162 pounds, you are overweight and if you are 5'6 and weigh around 185 pounds you are obese. According to recent statistics, 50% of us fall under the heading of obese.
We can quibble about the methodology of the BMI if we want to but I think we need to pay attention to any signs that we are being discriminated against because of our size. We are keenly aware of the racial and gender biases and how they manifest themselves but this weight stuff is like getting a third strike before we're even up at bat. Who can forget Jill Scott's character being asked to leave the plane in "Why Did I Get Married?", it just broke your heart. But we may experience more subtle signs of the brush-off when we go up for a promotion, interview for a new job or go out to eat with colleagues.
Working in a appearance-obsessed business makes me keenly aware of this fact. It is also compounded by the fact that I was the editor in chief of a fashion magazine called Mode, which offered choices for real-sized women (size 12 and up). What was great about Mode was its message that we need to love ourselves no matter what size we are. But then there was also the health issues that may occur when we choose to remain a woman of a certain size.
There's no better illustration of the duality of size and self-confidence than the journey of Star Jones. She seemed to be on top of the world in her larger frame but the truth was that simple tasks like walking and breathing were an issue. She must have struggled with her decision to take drastic action and go under the knife. (I found it more bizzare that she didn't own up to the surgery sooner). But ultimately, she chose her health over continuing to be the poster woman for a more shapely sisterhood. And she got a lot of backlash for it. We can't hate on her for choosing her life over what anyone thought.
So what do we do with all of this sobering news? I think we have to realize that our choices about our bodies and our health have unexpected repercussions on other aspects of our lives as well. And this fight may be the hardest battle of all.
">Jill Scott Hate On Me
ABC Report on Weight Discrimination
