This picture is brilliant! It depicts two women who have similar features, the only major difference being their weight. Their bodies are labeled with weight based stereotypes. In the small type on either bottom corner there is a qoute from each of the women. The thin woman on the left states, "People assume I am self centered and superficial. In reality, I volunteer at a homeless shelter every other week. As for being bitchy, I'm actually the biggest goofball." The full figured woman to the right states," Lazy? I get up every morning at 5:30 A.M. and am constantly on the go! My size does not define who I am."
The premise of the article was that women have different perceptions of other women based on their weight. The data in the article was derived from a poll the magazine conducted. More than 1,800 women ages 18- 40 were polled with guidance from the Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives at Yale 's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Here's the data from their poll:
Do women really prejudge other women according to their size? I never did but that's because I've been both full figured and thin during my lifetime. But what about women who have always been thin or women who have always been thick, do they really think this way?
At first glance the data seems ridiculous. I thought to myself, what idiot would make assumptions by the size of a person. How could a person possibly make educated assumptions about the type of individual a person is without talking to the person in question? The answer is they can't make EDUCATED assumptions without talking to the person! I had to remind myself that this was a study on PERCEPTION data. Not what actually is, but what is perceived to be.
Well what does this mean for us? Whether you are full figured or thin you have to make sure your strengths and positive attributes are immediately evident to those that matter. Don't give anyone the chance to PERCEIVE you are someone you are not!
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