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Women Get the Short-End of the Fat Stick
Posted: Apr 10, 2008 in Things to do, Dining
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The New York Times shared information a couple of weeks ago about a disturbing trend in fat bias. It's harder to be an overweight woman than an overweight man.
Apparently, average-height women need only be 13 pounds above their healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) range to be discriminated against. Men? Well, they can keep packing on the pounds before their co-workers, bosses, service people or the whole world will discriminate against them, because an average-height man will have to be 68 pounds outside of his healthy BMI before the discrimination kicks in.
Nice, huh?
An excerpt: "The study also revealed that women are twice as likely as men to report weight discrimination and that weight-related workplace bias and interpersonal mistreatment due to obesity are common."
No surprise. Women probably get judged more based on appearance in every way, not just body weight. At least the weight is something they can do something about (as can men, of course), and improve their health at the same time.
Interesting study, although I'm always suspicious of any data that uses BMI. BMI is a simplistic, one-size-fits-all (literally) standard that doesn't make any allowances for build, age or even gender.
Let's put it this way: according to BMI, Colts Pro Bowl running back Joseph Addai is obese.
It also says that 129 pounds falls in the "normal" weight range for my height (5-10). I know that's bunk because I actually weighed about that much in high school, and was perpetually mocked because I was so scrawny.
I don't doubt that women encounter more discrimination in this area than men do...