Sizeism: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
{{sections|date=April 2010}} |
{{sections|date=April 2010}} |
||
{{Discrimination sidebar}} |
{{Discrimination sidebar}} |
||
'''Size discrimination''' or '''sizeism''' is a form of [[discrimination]] based upon the size of a person's body. This type of discrimination can take a number of forms, ranging from refusing to hire someone because he or she is too short or too tall, to treating [[overweight]] and [[underweight]] individuals with [[disdain]]. In some regions, [[law]]s are in place to prohibit sizeism, but sizeist attitudes (such as "skinny people are underweight" and other such attitudes) are often ingrained in modern society. |
'''Size discrimination''' or '''sizeism''' is a form of [[discrimination]] based upon the size of a person's body. This type of discrimination can take a number of forms, ranging from refusing to hire someone because he or she is too short or too tall, to treating [[overweight]] and [[underweight]] individuals with [[disdain]]. In some regions, [[law]]s are in place to prohibit sizeism, but sizeist attitudes (such as "skinny people are underweight" and other such attitudes) are often ingrained in modern society. Nothwithstanding such laws, ''de facto'' policies remain in place in the U.S. prohibiting the employment of obese persons in certain jobs, such as on-screen television journalism occupations. |
||
Sizeism can be based on [[height]], [[weight]] or both, and so is often related to [[heightism|height-]] and [[weightism|weight-based discrimination]] but is not synonymous with either. Depending on where in the world one is and how one chooses to live his/her life, people may have a tendency to be especially tall, slender, short, or plump, and many societies have [[Internalization|internalized]] attitudes about size. As a general rule, sizeist attitudes imply that someone believes that his or her size is superior to that of other people. |
Sizeism can be based on [[height]], [[weight]] or both, and so is often related to [[heightism|height-]] and [[weightism|weight-based discrimination]] but is not synonymous with either. Depending on where in the world one is and how one chooses to live his/her life, people may have a tendency to be especially tall, slender, short, or plump, and many societies have [[Internalization|internalized]] attitudes about size. As a general rule, sizeist attitudes imply that someone believes that his or her size is superior to that of other people. |
||
Revision as of 11:24, 13 January 2011
 |
 | This article may document a neologism or protologism in such a manner as to promote it. |
The template {{Expand}} has been deprecated since 26 December 2010, and is retained only for old revisions. If this page is a current revision, please remove the template.
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2010) |
 | This article needs to be divided into sections. (April 2010) |
| Part of a series on |
| Discrimination |
|---|
 |
Size discrimination or sizeism is a form of discrimination based upon the size of a person's body. This type of discrimination can take a number of forms, ranging from refusing to hire someone because he or she is too short or too tall, to treating overweight and underweight individuals with disdain. In some regions, laws are in place to prohibit sizeism, but sizeist attitudes (such as "skinny people are underweight" and other such attitudes) are often ingrained in modern society. Nothwithstanding such laws, de facto policies remain in place in the U.S. prohibiting the employment of obese persons in certain jobs, such as on-screen television journalism occupations.
Sizeism can be based on height, weight or both, and so is often related to height- and weight-based discrimination but is not synonymous with either. Depending on where in the world one is and how one chooses to live his/her life, people may have a tendency to be especially tall, slender, short, or plump, and many societies have internalized attitudes about size. As a general rule, sizeist attitudes imply that someone believes that his or her size is superior to that of other people.
Like other forms of discrimination, sizeism isn't always explicit. It involves the perpetuation of stereotypes and attitudes which support those stereotypes, such as the idea that fat people are lazy, that fat people eat too much and don't exercise enough, that tall people are good basketball players or that overweight people often contract diseases which render some jobs dangerous for themselves and others. Sizeist attitudes can also take the form of expressions of physical disgust when confronted with people of differing sizes. Sizeism, being a newly realized discriminatory belief, is usually observed by those who are sufferers.
Any time someone makes a judgment about someone else on the basis of his or her size, such as not letting one be a marathon runner due to weight, this is an example of sizeism. When a decision is made not to hire someone because of size, this is also sizeist.