Written by: Suprabha Thami - 23043, Grade XII
Posted on: 02 March, 2023
A stereotype is a generalized belief about a specific group of people, according to social psychology. It is a preconceived notion that people have about every member of a given group. In simple words, a stereotype is judging someone based on their appearances despite their personalities or situations. While such broad generalizations about groups of people might be helpful for making quick decisions, they can be inaccurate when applied to specific individuals, and they are one of the causes of prejudice.
We all know how much our weight can affect the way people treat us. Even though the world is developing, the way people judge each other based on their appearances is still a long way to improve. We can often see people with a little extra weight or people with obesity are the most common outcasts under the pressure of judgements. With this, obese people face a lot of prejudices and discriminations in a variety of circumstances, including schooling, work, and interpersonal connections. Obese people are severely stigmatized as a result of their sizes. Obese students are less likely than other students to earn a college diploma or be admitted as graduate students after an interview in educational settings. When it comes to interpersonal interactions, obese people have poorer relationships with their peers at school and have fewer close friends than slimmer people. Not only this, but also at workplaces, the obese applicants are less likely to be accepted due to the discrimination faced. Due to this, the individuals experiencing the stigma of obesity are at risk for mental illnesses such as depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety. This stigma stems in part from unfavorable perceptions about obese individuals being lazy, unintelligent, and lacking in confidence and willpower.
One of the main reasons teenagers nowadays are starting to be seen a lot in counseling courses or the therapist courses is the weight stereotype that people face which leads to lack of confidence, anxiety and finally depression. People need to understand that the weight of the person does not determine whether the person is lazy or energetic, unintelligent or intelligent or if they have willpower or not. All a person should consider is the character of a person and not the shape or size of the person.
