Everyone loses because of fat stigma. Maybe especially Democrats.

[nancylebov]

The usual discussion of stigma against fat people is about what it costs them, and that's reasonable because it costs them a lot.

However, there's another side-- what stigma against fat people costs everyone. I've read a lot from women who put off their ambitions for both work and love until they lose weight, which may never happen. It wouldn't surprise me if the same pattern (starting at higher fat %s) occurs for men, it's just that I haven't heard about it.

How much accomplishment and love haven't happened because of people who don't try until they think their bodies would be approved of? And they aren't hallucinating the prejudice-- how many fat people get turned down just because they're fat?

So, to Trump, because everything seems to get related to Trump. Unless I'm missing something, Republicans are more willing to accept fat candidates than Democrats are. Is it possible that Democrats are throwing away more talent than they can afford to? (I'm not extremely sure of the premise here-- let me know about if there are fat Democratic politicians which would contradict my theory.)

Comments

[marahmarie]

Republicans are more willing to accept fat candidates than Democrats are

Are they? I haven't seen any research on this! And I have no hard data to draw on, but my guess is there are simply more fat candidates and the electorate is more fat on the Republican side, on average, therefore more accepting of fat candidates. Sort of a positive feedback loop.

While Rs might speak more harshly against it, because they speak more harshly against everything with known societal prejudices, on the whole - given their lower education, lower awareness of how to maintain good diet and physical health and so on - fat is probably just a thing they don't mind so much seeing reflected in their candidates.

What surprises me is that Democrats would have any known prejudice against fatness - I'm a lifelong D (voting their way for nigh on 25 years now) and can't recall it being a thing. I voted for Clinton who spent most of his two terms see-sawing about an ounce away from complete corpulence. Hillary, though not fat, was more "healthy" than thin; ditto Michelle.

Having a prejudice against fat could literally ruin any political party: I wonder where GB and the whole world would be right now if such a thing had kept Winston Churchill (a liberal) from winning elections, just as a for instance (though it maddens me I have to jump the pond to think of any country tolerant of it - North Korea and its current dictator, who I doubt got elected into office fairly, or at all, does not count).