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Do people generally look down on fat/ overweight people?

Would you say people sometimes are more inclined to be rude to an overweight person than someone who is in shape?  I've noticed in the past people tend to be blunt and to the point when they're talking to someone thats overweight and their personality changes when they're around someone who's in shape/ healthier/ better looking, etc.

Is it just me or is this generally the case with society these days?  I seemed to have more friends when I was thinner than I do now.  Of course they're still my friends but I don't get invited to go out with them as much now as I used to when I was in shape.  I'm not bothered by this much just an observation and would like to know your opinions on this matter 

I dont know about being looked down upon, but there have been cases where a person was not given the job because of their weight.

It came to light last year (I think) (in Ireland / UK region)

Very unfair.

I dont know, But I was in the lounge one day reading some of the posts and someone mentioned that they only like to hang out with attactive and healthy looking people.  I have been over weight most of my life and considered not as attractive as some of my peers.  Of course this was in highschool(a long time ago)  To me personnaly You have to have a personality that "POPPS" to get my attention.  I dont base my freindships on looks good looking people who are horrible but also less goodlooking people who ae horrible also and vise versa with nice people. 

I don't judge overweight people by any means, but I will say this. When I see an overweight (and I mean seriously overweight, near obese) person in the grocery store and see in their shopping card: chips, treats, sweets, candy, junk, etc), it gives an impression they just don't care. Same with when I see the same type of person in a restaurant eating a huge-ass burger and a boat load of fries. However, when I see this same type of person out on the streets walking for exercise, I want to applaud them. They are showing they care and want to begin taking care of their bodies and their health.

I am not a judgmental person and I absolutely do not agree with overweight people being denied jobs or other opportunities because of their weight.

I'm never home, especially not during the day due to working, but I think Tyra Banks pulled an experiment & got in a 'fat suit', just to check this out.  Apparently, it is very much so the case (weight descrimination).  Wished I could have caught the episode!

I think that everyone judges but that some people are more aware that the basis for their judgements are not always reasonable. 

I see overweight and obese people everyday along with the tiny and skinny and fit.  People carry themselves differently, an obese person who walks in a sloppy manner looks heavier to me than an obese person who makes deliberate movements.  With the tiny, skinny, and fit, I tend to think of those who move sloppy as being very immature.

Now I'll take a decent conversation over a hard body any day of the week.

    I dont mean too but i think I do a little,  but only in the same respect that someone already mentioned, when i am at the grocery store/restaurant and someone has very unhealthy food i cant help to think that if they care so little about thier health what else do they care so little about. 
i just read a new study on the bbc that asked overweight people if thier life was threatned by thier weight would they exersie to change it and i think the percentage was almost 40 said yes...thats less than half.  I mean we only have 1 life people lets try to live it long and healthy.  not to mention the health care costs covered by others.

but besides that I would never care if my friends/family were over weight...actually I have been known to date pudgy men as long as they were doing little things to live their life healthy. 

please dont think i am rude i am just answering honestly and i really wish i did not care how other people ate, but its an obsession of mine i can not help watching other people.

Personally, I noticed people were so much nicer to me now that i'm thinner than when I was overweight. Men smile more and try to flirt by putting their arm around my shoulders. They never did that when I was fat. Like rebanator said, I have nothing but respect for people who try to take care of themselves.

I have personally experienced the hatefullness and discriminations against overweight people by "healthier" or "fit" people.

http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/thread.aspx ?BoardID=490&ThreadID=252652&BoardsPa ram=HIPDelay%3d1

65 pages of it - I was posting as Darkest Myst...

It was this messageboard thread that pushed me to find Calorie-Count.com and the determination to lose weight - so far 24lbs gone! :)

I've always been heavier than my peers and have always felt unwelcome in the popular crowds because of my size.

I actually recall walking out of my highschool cafeteria one day with my boyfriend and heard one of his friends shout out "Your Girlfriend is Busted" meaning ugly.

I do feel that my being a little heavier than my peers has made me more timid about aproaching new people and talking to strangers.  It even has a part to play in my stagefreight!

and to be honest - jealosy aside, I've never been hateful, mean or discriminatory towards anyone thinner or more fit than me. so - I guess I'm just one sided...

 

I will give you guys a personal anecdote... please try not to think less of me for this.

I was on the bus the other day, and a lady got on. She was in a wheelchair, apperantly because of her weight. (she was 400+ lbs). her arms and legs clearly worked (although I shouldn't judge because maybe she just had arthritis or something). but anyway, as soon as she got strapped in, she pulled out a family sized kit kat (you know the ones, the ones they sell at movie theaters with 10 sticks?) and proceeded to eat the whole thing, washed down with a 750ml bottle of pepsi.

You know what I though? I though, "how dare she spend my tax dollars on healthcare for her obesity related problems when she doesn't care enough about herself to eat REASONABLY healthfully?" So I guess i do look down on people like that - but it isn't because they are overweight, per say. its because they don't respect themselves enough to help themselves.

All that said, as others have said, i have the utmost respect for those who try to take control of their health and wellness. So all that is to say, I guess, that it depends on the circumstances.

How do you know she was spending your tax dollars on healthcare?

I myself am severyly obese, and have pretty much been my whole life. Am really trying to do something about now at 26. 

I have an aunt that I am close to thats also very obese, and we go out to eat from time to time, just last night actually and I am always ordering the salad or grilled stuff and she is always ordering the fried and greasy stuff and I try stop myself from judging her, mostly since I was there once, and it's not like she's not aware of things, she had ovarian cancer a couple years back and she is a nurse, so she's in the medical field.

But even as an overweight person I agree with some of the others its hard not to judge other overweight people who seem to not try or care.

Sometimes I feel invisable being overweight, but that could be because part of me wants to be, so it could be I do it to myself!

Well for one thing, OHIP covers wheelchairs. And I sincerely doubt that a 400+lb woman who is wheelchair bound never visits a doctor :S

But...how do you know she is a OHIP recipient...was there some sort of sticker on the chair?

Hockeygirl44 - I can understand where your coming from - but to play devil's advocate...

I was in the same mindframe as that same overweight woman you mentioned in your post - there are so many people out there who DON"T KNOW about eating reasonably or healthy.  It breaks my heart to see children stuffing their little faces with burgers and fries and mega sodas and candy bars and such... and parents are sitting there doing the same thing - these kids grow up with a distorted view of food and nutrition because they've never learned the healthy habits that more slender, healthy and fit americans have developed.

In a given day - before I changed my lifestyle and eating habits,

I would roll out of bed, make coffee, drink my coffee with 8tsp sugar and 1 tsp creamer.
On the way to work I would hit McD's Drive through for two (count em - 2) of their sausage and cheese mcgriddles, one hashbrown and a large mellow yellow
Lunch would be a couple of double cheese burgers, large fry and a large mellow yellow
Dinner would be whatever - Pizza, burgers, italian, steaks... 

and then snacking up until bed time.

I was ALWAYS eating - all the time... But - I didn't know any better - Growing up I saw my mother constantly comforting her emotions with food - everyone around me was always eating - my family had such a love affair with food! LMAO

But I just wanted to show the other side of the fence... and it's these bad habits that I learned growing up - that got me to my heaviest - 245lbs! I'm currently at 221 working towards my goal of 175. :)

What I don't understand is the hatred...We see an emaciated women and think 'poor thing... anorexic'...we see a fat woman we think 'lazy, stupid, good for nothing, doesn't want to try....yadda yadda..."

Why is there any hatred, at all? It's just as likely that some old guy who is in shape is using your tax dollars for his viagra script...

I judge people's grocery basket contents....

I'm always seeing skinny people with grocery carts stuffed full of cheese-its, doritos, coca-cola, cookies, bacon, ice cream, frozen pizzas... you name it.. every manner and type of industrialized, chemical-laden crap-that-passes-for-food.

I have a lot of weight to lose and I'm buying fruits, vegetables, lean meat and fish...

These people in line in front of me, screaming at their out-of-control kids are thin, but can dine on twinkies if they want...

Fair?

I don't know. 

Will it catch up to them someday?

Maybe.

Should I really care what someone else is putting in their grocery cart or make assumptions about them based on it?

No.

Can I feel superior to people because I eat healthier food than they do?

I guess... if I had very low self esteem, I could do that...

I think it's kind of funny and sad, that people are looking in other people's grocery carts! I know when I go to the store, I have better things to do than see what the fat or skinny (something I also rarely notice) person next to me is buying. You might as well sit in the laundry mat and watch people fold their clothes. Maybe you can find out what they do for a living or if they exercise that way. I'm sorry, but this has really gotten to me.

Come on now! You just can not judge someone that way. I have 5 kids, so I ALWAYS have chips, and other snacks in my cart, and A LOT of it. We have to take treats, to tee-ball games, girl scouts etc... I also have fruits, yogurts, granola bars, and healthy stuff for my kids as well. I don't know, maybe next I run to the store I should see what everyone is buying. Why? I have no idea.

kathygator - everyone recieves OHIP, unless they are here on vacation or illegally, so it is very likely that she does recieve it.

cjeka - I understand your point, I really do. I also feel that at 400lbs, they know there is a health risk. and there are TONS of resources out there now that weren't before to help people make healthy choices. so is it a valid excuse? ... lets say it wouldn't hold up very well in an essay.

Unfortunately yes,   I have experienced people who are prejudiced against overweight people too.   And I am guilty of the same prejudices even though I am over weight too.

It's no different in the work place,  I had lost about 60 lbs, but unfortunately gained most of it back,but my bonuses were better before I put the weight back on.  I am hoping now to lose that 60 plus another 70.   I will not even consider looking for another job until I have lost the weight.

 

It doesn't feel nice to be judged, does it?

I know I don't want or need anyone's approval. 

Your disapproval is just plain rude....

I made the statement above to make a point that nobody likes being judged and nobody is 'above reproach' and anybody can feel superior if they try hard enough.... not that this will do anybody a lick of good...

I agree with you forty... instead of evaluating other people, maybe just... be.

Maybe just try compassion...

Maybe reassure yourself that your value and self-worth does not require that you disapprove of anyone else...