I am writing on behalf of the more than 33,000 members of the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) in regards to your recent article on obesity, titled “Let’s Stop Being Passive About Fighting Obesity” [by Shannon Brownlee, Nov. 15] Frankly, we were greatly disappointed by the piece for a number of reasons, including:
1. Its failure to acknowledge the existing widespread shaming and discrimination that already exists around individuals affected by obesity.
2. The lack of acknowledgment that shaming efforts makes the problem worse and not better.
Existing Weight Shaming Discrimination
Individuals affected by obesity are shamed and discriminated against frequently. Examples include:
- Recent estimates suggest that the prevalence of weight discrimination has increased by 66% over the past decade, and is now comparable to rates of racial discrimination in the United States.
- Overweight employees earn 1 to 6% less than non-overweight people in comparable positions.
- On average, a female affected by obesity earns 15% less than her normal weight counterpart.
- 27% of obese women report weight-based employment discrimination.
- Corporations are now penalizing employees who do not meet weight criteria.
- Recent research shows that being overweight is the most common reason that youth are bullied at school — even more frequent than teasing due to sexual orientation, race, or other characteristics. Overweight youth who are teased about their weight are also 2-3 times more likely to engage in suicidal thoughts and behaviors compared to their peers who aren’t teased.
Shaming Doesn’t Work
Shaming an individual affected by obesity will not motivate them to address their weight. In fact, it does quite the opposite, as studies suggest that individuals shamed for their weight often gain more weight as a result of the stigmatization. As obesity rates have increased over the past several decades, so has stigmatization. Stigma is simply not an effective, nor an appropriate, incentive for weight loss. In order to successfully address the disease of obesity, we must first address the bias and stigma associated with it. Tune in to any television channel and you are bound to see a comedian mocking obesity with another “fat joke,” an entertainment show providing an “in-depth look at obesity” by dressing up a TV personality in an obscure “fat suit” or a news segment covering obesity while using random images of headless individuals affected by obesity, such as the one accompanied with your article. All of these examples only further detach the significance of obesity from society.
The OAC believes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to combating obesity. The disease of obesity must not be stigmatized by society and individuals affected by obesity must have access to safe and effective treatment options, such as medically managed weight-loss, behavioral therapy, weight-loss surgery and more. Furthermore, these options must be covered under health insurance. We urge you to check the research and consider more constructive ways to battle obesity.
Joseph Nadglowski, President and CEO, Obesity Action Coalition, TAMPA