Experts say that fat shaming has become a part of American culture.
Many consider obesity an epidemic in America, and despite common beliefs, fat shaming may be a part of the problem, and students are not only being fat shamed by their peers; they are fat shaming themselves. According to the Journal of Health Psychology, 1,077 weight stigmatizing events were reported in 2014 when 50 overweight women documented fat shaming after being asked by researchers to keep a diary for a week.
Carol Irwin, associate professor at U of M said students avoid working out due to fat shaming themselves.
“It’s very hard going into an environment where everyone is fit and thin,” Irwin said. “Walking around campus allows students to get exercise while blending in.”
Based on experimental data, people who reported day-to- day discrimination because of their weight gained about 2 pounds on average and people who didn’t lost about 1.6 pounds on average, according to the study in the Huffington Post.
Bryn Mawr, a college in Philadelphia, sent an email to students recently offering the program for students with an “elevated” body mass index. The college later apologized after stirring controversy relative to fat shaming.
Students who are knowingly obese find comfort in avoiding health classes on campus and anything health related. Irwin says students tend to do so because of cognitive dissonance.
“As long as students don’t see it or think about it, they feel it’s okay,” she said.
Some students feel fat shaming has nothing at all to do with obesity. Brandon Jewell, student worker of the recreational center says he’s never seen students making fun of other students for being fat.
“I think that obesity often stems from issues with self-esteem,” said Jewell.
Students who are actually obese offer a different perspective. Maria Jackson, former University of Memphis student said she experienced lots of fat shaming as a campus resident. Jackson said she has been obese her entire life and often experienced staring, name calling, and some people pointed at her.
“I was breathing really hard after walking up the stairs and into class and one of the students said I should be ashamed of myself,” said Jackson.
“I made sure I arrived earlier than the other students to avoid the excess attention.”
Fat shaming isn’t something to be proud of, but according to the New York Post, A woman in Iceland named Eva Rut Gunnlaugsdottir credits her 110-pund weight loss to posting embarrassing selfies of herself on Facebook.
“I still find it painful to look at the first few selfies from last year,” Gunnlaugsdottir admitted. “But I always feel better looking at the end of the year.”
Although obese students often feel uncomfortable going to the gym due to being fat shamed directly and indirectly, Jewell says the U of M recreational center offers a program called Tiger fit that’s geared toward identifying the weight goals of students and helping them obtain them.
Students are not very hopeful for the future of fat shaming.
“Fat people are not going anywhere and neither are comments about them,” said freshman Valerie Smith.
