"Since the 'sexual revolution' of the 1960s, thinness has replaced virginity in its representation of goodness in women. Obesity is regarded with the scorn previously reserved for sexuality. Heads no longer turn in moral righteousness when a scantily dressed woman walks down the street, and we hear the same language of moral condemnation applied to the obese woman that used to be directed toward the sexually active woman: 'She has no self-respect,' 'She's out of control,' 'How could she let herself go?', 'She's destroyed herself,' and so on." (1)

It is nearly impossible to get a sense of self-worth when you are constantly and consistently degraded, as nearly every overweight woman in America is. Sometimes this can be outright hostility, but the undercurrents are harder to overcome. Several studies have found that women who are perceived as overweight confront considerable obstacles to advancement in their careers and, in fact, generally end up earning less than their mothers, regardless of their ability. Women perceived as thin tend to earn more than their mothers. (2)

"The health industry embraced the questionable concept of �ideal weight'� the idea that the weight associated with optimum health and longevity could be determined by height. It was then decreed that everyone of the same height and bone structure should meet this ideal. But this injunction assumed that body weight and the ratios of fat to lean tissue were direct functions of exercise and eating habits. The obvious corollary was that everybody should reduce to ideal weight and that everybody could easily do so� if they exerted enough willpower. . . In modern America, being fat is as shameful as being dirty. We seem to believe that slenderness is as attainable as cleanliness, and as crucial to respectable grooming." (3)

Being thin is seen as being in control. The woman who is thin has starved herself often enough and exercised hard enough to attain the ultimate beauty goal� a size six dress. It doesn't matter that she is hungry; in fact, overcoming hunger is seen as a strength. The "fat" woman is one who does not have these innate strengths; she "gives in" to hunger and "indulges herself" with food. Food isn't an indulgence and hunger isn't something that should be overcome. "Food is an important part of a balanced diet," is a familiar joke, but apparently a lot of women don't take it seriously. They feel that food is something they both can and should give up. Starving is a form of control; therefore anyone who does not seem to be starving themselves is not in control. (I know that it is a false conclusion, but most people don't analyze the argument enough to see its failings.) Because there is such a strong undercurrent against fat in our society, women will go to extremes to not be associated with it. (Note the labels again: "fat" is a pejorative term in our society.) Prejudice is an easy trap to fall into, and I do not feel that is too strong of a term. Women with extra weight are consistently judged negatively in our society, even when there is nothing they can do about their 'condition.'

(1)Steiner-Adair, Catherine. "The Politics of Prevention." Feminist Perspectives on Eating Disorders. Fallon, Patricia, et al., eds. (New York: The Guilford Press, 1994) p. 386.

(2)Rothblum, Esther D. "'I'll Die for the Revolution but Don't Ask Me Not to Diet': Feminism and the Continuing Stigmatization of Obesity." Feminist Perspectives on Eating Disorders. Fallon, Patricia, et al., eds. (New York: The Guilford Press, 1994) p. 57-58.

(3)Seid, Roberta P. "Too 'Close to the Bone': The Historical Context for Women's Obsession with Slenderness." Feminist Perspectives on Eating Disorders. Fallon, Patricia, et al., eds. (New York: The Guilford Press, 1994) p. 7.