When I was 24 I lost about 75 pounds. I had been overweight to one degree or another since puberty so had no experience as a normal-looking adult.
I was absolutely shocked by how much nicer people were to me when I was thinner. I'm a friendly person and usually found that people were kind to me, but once I lost a lot of weight I noticed doors being held (by men and women) a lot more often. People were more likely to look me in the eye or start a conversation. Some of that could have been from my increased confidence, but I really believe most of it was weight-related. I think many of us who've had lap-band surgery have had similar experiences at one point or another.
The New York Times published an essay on the topic yesterday: For Obese People, Prejudice in Plain Sight.
**SIDE NOTE: I love that one of the doctors quoted in the essay is named Dr. Bacon.**
I'm not sure which is sadder, the article or the reader comments on the NYT Well blog.
Here's one of the comments: Judging obese people for being obese, if it is purely the result of a lifestyle choice, is not discrimination. These people willfully choose to live in an unhealthy, unsafe way and I don’t feel bad at all for discriminating against them. Last year I lost 45 pounds. For the first time in my life, I’m in shape. I have no sympathy for anyone who simply chooses to live in such a way. ~ Roger
