As I was scrolling through the daily news posts that the Academy of Nutrition send out, an article quickly caught my eye.
Last week the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University published a study suggesting that male jurors didn’t administer blind justice when it came to plus-size female defendants.
If this type of prejudice is being shown in the court room where everyone is to be innocent until proven guilty then imagine how it is out in the real world!
Rebecca Puhl, one of the Yale researchers who co-wrote the juror study stated, “Thinness has come to symbolize important values in our society, values such as discipline, hard work, ambition and willpower. If you’re not thin, then you don’t have them.”
I find this appalling and am really disappointed in the results from this study. One positive from these results are that we can address these problems head on and become more supportive than ever.
Going into the dietetics profession I am aware of how overweight individuals lack confidence in themselves. Being overweight does not imply that that person is lazy. We need to have that individual take a step back and try to realize how they got to where they are? Being supportive and somewhat of a cheerleader will make all the difference in the world to that person. Having a supportive friend or family member to go do activities with can also really have an impact.
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If we want to make a difference in this obesity epidemic we need to step out and be supportive, not judgemental.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/stigma-obese-acceptable-prejudice/story?id=18276788
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