Visible Vs. Hidden Stigmas - Obesity and Lgbt

Group Comparison Paper

Troy R. Witt

The world is often a beautiful place. There are triumphant tales of kindred spirits helping those in need, of people coming together despite their differences, and of those once lost being found. However, there is another side of life that combats these positive stories with that of prejudice, stereotypes, discrimination, stigmas, and hate towards those who stand out or have unique attributes. Especially when compared to our culture of power that is often white, healthy, and traditional. The following will define, describe the treatment of, and perceive the lives of two of these stigmatized groups, those with obesity and those who are LGBT, to further detail the similarities and differences of their daily struggles. One clear, thematic, distinction is the blatant external identification of obese individuals against the hidden sexual stigma of those who are LGBT.  

Group Definition

Weight stigma is a social stigma in which those who are overweight or obese are targets of prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors. This stigma is present across many dimensions in our society and can be seen in interpersonal, institutional, organizational, and cultural discrimination. Alarmingly, research has discerned the weight stigma has become more prevalent in our society, as weight based discrimination has increased 66% from the 1990’s into the 2000’s (Andreyeva, T., Puhl, R. M., & Brownell, K. D., 2008). Despite this group actually being a majority across the world, they are still stigmatized and thought to be the blame for their obesity. The stereotypes these people face are exclusively negative, as additional research has showed that overweight people are accredited multiple negative stereotypes such as being sloppy, disagreeable, lazy, lacking self-discipline, and less competent (Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A., 2009). Others view obese individuals as poor role models with few positive qualities, and are less inclined to get to know an obese person on an individual level (Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A., 2009). Due to the external and visible aspect of being overweight, they are easily grouped and stigmatized.

On June 16th, 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in a decision that would impact our nation and the world as a whole. Yet, despite even our own government granting the freedom to choose whom we love, those in the LGBT community continue to face a sharp social stigma from many. There are vast amounts of normally negative stereotyped this community is labeled with, such as all lesbians are “butch” in appearance, that gay men are effeminate and deviant sexual pedophiles, and that members of this community are all democrats and non-religious (Cox, W. T., Devine, P. G., Bischmann, A. A., & Hyde, J. S., 2015). Others often view this group as threatening or are perturbed by the untraditional way of life these members lead (Cox, W. T., Devine, P. G., Bischmann, A. A., & Hyde, J. S., 2015). There are some instances when LGBT members are externally stereotyped, but more commonly this is a hidden stigma in every day life.

There is no question those who are obese or LGBT fit the criteria for being targets of social stigmatization. The vast majority of stereotypes towards these groups are negative, and those in the out-group generally hold feelings of ill will towards these types of people and treat them accordingly.

Group Treatment

Weight Stigma has existed in western culture since the 1800’s. It has only continued to grow and become more common, such as the aforementioned study that placed weight-based discrimination at 66% higher now than compared to just 20 years ago. With the increased societal awareness towards fitness, health, and “eating clean”, obese people have found themselves on the wrong side of what our culture is moving towards.

Additionally, weight stigma is hardly being combated, as research has found it to be one of the longest lasting acceptable forms of social stigmas (Puhl, R., Brownell, K., & Depierre, J., 2014). This can even be supported on a policy level, where no federal legislation protects overweight and obese individual from employment discrimination. In fact, only one state, Michigan, has a non-discriminatory policy towards over weight individuals in place (Nowrouzi, B., 2015). The only potential avenue for lawful protection for these people is the Americans with Disabilities Act; however, it is often hard for that overweight to qualify for being disabled. Currently treatment those stigmatized by weight is generally awful in many different parts of our culture.

In addition to the negative stereotypes applied to these people (See Group Definition section), in the work place overweight people tend to be paid less for the same jobs and are less likely to get promoted than those who are thin (Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A., 2009). Overweight youth particularly faces struggles, as these students often are met with harsh harassment from peers and negative attitudes from teachers and administrative staffs. Some research has even shown qualified overweight students, especially females, are less likely to be accepted into colleges (Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A., 2009). Seemingly every aspect of our society has it out for the obese, as health professionals such as doctors endorse these negative stereotypes towards weight stigmas, leading to poorer medical care and avoidance of the health care system all together (Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A., 2009). Finally, the media has further stigmatized this group with their decision to hardly ever cast overweight individuals in anything other than minor, “fat funny person” roles that often depict these people as targets of discrimination and ridicule. This is even prevalent in children’s television, teaching this stigma through social learning at a young age (Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A., 2009). There are also a myriad of weight loss TV programs with their own negative affects.

Overall, the current treatment of those affected by the weight stigma is worse than it has ever been in history, and is continuing to trend downwards.

Contrary to those stereotyped by weight, LGBT stigmas have developed more tolerance as time has gone on. During the mid 1900’s, being gay was thought of as extremely outlawed and state legislatures ruled against gay behavior. However, as the century progressed, more and more people were accepting gay people and culture. In 2013, a record high 58% of Americans reported supporting the legal recognition for same sex marriage (Cox, W. T., Devine, P. G., Bischmann, A. A., & Hyde, J. S., 2015). This was accepted in 2015 with the legalization of gay marrage being recognized nationwide. Comparing to those that are overweight, LGBT individuals have more protection and freedom from laws.  Despite members of the LGBT community now having the right to marry and pursue happiness as others do, these people still face harsh treatment when their sexual orientation is exposed or no longer hidden. Gay people can face attitudes of rejection by their family and friends, discriminatory violence, and the struggle to retain mental and physical health due to the inability to be open about their sexual orientation (Stigma and Discrimination, 2015). Luckily for this community, attitudes have been increasingly improved over time. At this junction in America, anyone that continues to favor prejudice and discrimination towards the LGBT community has a lost cause.