Can extra pounds add weight to us in the eyes of others and, as a result, help us at work? Yes and no: it all depends on what our gender is. Scientists have recently come to such conclusions.
Is the word of an overweight man perceived as more convincing and weighty? It seems so. In any case, this is the conclusion that researchers from Cornell University have recently come to. But for women, alas, this rule does not apply.
“It would seem that despite the fact that the body-positive movement is gaining momentum, being overweight is still stigmatized in modern society,” comment study authors Kevin M. Nuffin, Vicki L. Bogan and David R. Just. “However, we found out that the “big man” is indeed perceived by many as big in all respects – however, only if it is a man.”
“Large”, “solid”, “impressive” – these are the words we use to describe both an overweight person and someone authoritative, perhaps even a leader. And this is not abstract reasoning: an analysis of the results of the study showed that the subjects really perceive fat men as more convincing. And vice versa: in their opinion, an authoritative person usually weighs more than others.
“Weight” discrimination can be observed at every stage of building a career
True, this does not apply to women. The researchers asked the subjects to look at portraits of men and women of different sizes and rate how convincing they looked. Participants considered overweight and even very overweight men to be authoritative, but overweight women were not. According to Niffin, a separate detailed study is needed to clarify this result, but it may be due to social expectations and conventional ideas about female beauty.
Director of the Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut, Rebecca Poole, reminds us that society perceives the thinness of men and women differently. In addition, women are captured by stereotypes about beauty, and if their bodies differ from the generally accepted standard and fall short of the “ideal”, they are condemned.
Weight based discrimination
As a person grows fat, he is subjected to more and more discrimination, and women here also suffer more than men. In 2010, college students rated overweight male politicians higher than their overweight rivals. “It seems that the subjects pay attention not to the political program of the female candidate, but to her appearance,” the authors of the study concluded.
“Weight” discrimination can be observed at every stage of building a career. Fat women are less willing to hire. So, in 2012, 127 experienced recruiters were asked to evaluate six potential candidates. 42% of study participants rejected a full applicant and only 19% rejected a full applicant.
But even if an overweight professional is hired, the discrimination continues. Studies show that such professionals (especially women) earn less than their peers and are less likely to get promoted. So authority is authority, but, alas, it is too early to talk about equal rights for people of different complexion.