Stereotyping can happen in numerous ways; one very cruel way of stereotyping would be stereotyping a person for being overweight. People often stereotype others because of beliefs they have learned from their parents or on their own.

Discriminating against a person because of one’s weight can be a seriously hurtful and demeaning thing. Many people assume that the causes for being overweight are eating all day and rarely exercising. Some people call overweight people slobs or lazy, when in most instances this isn’t the case. Some have health problems that lead to being overweight, like a kidney disease or malfunction, or the person may even be suffering from a birth defect.

The effects of stereotyping an overweight person can cause them great pain and devastation. Even death can be a possible result of this type of stereotyping. People who are obese usually already feel self-conscious about themselves, and if stereotyping leads to teasing or making fun of the person, as it usually does, it will only worsens matter. This may not lead directly to death, but it may lead to depression and loneliness. Frequently, eating disorders can occur. One prominent eating disorder is Anorexia Nervosa. This is when a person who is in the pursuit of thinness, starves themselves and often becomes malnourished. A second eating disorder is bulimia, which is when a person repeatedly binge eats, then self-induces vomiting to help prevent any weight gain. These forms of eating disorders can lead to various health problems, such as: Low body temperature, muscle weakness, dry skin, slow pulse, even death can occur if the problem is not treated. These complications are just a few, on a horrifically long list.

Under certain circumstances, being tormented about one’s weight can be the foundation of other issues as well. For children growing up it can be especially difficult. There can be many social issues involved as far as making friends and participating in various group activities. Once school is finished, finding a job can be another challenge. By reason that the person may feel they are not good enough and furthermore may be apprehensive of the interview process. Once an adult with these types of emotions has children of their own they may pass the feeling on to their children. There is also a direct link to genetic eating disorders.

This is just one example of how stereotyping can affect our society. Each person is one individual, and there is absolutely no way of accurately judging someone on looks alone. As you can see there are numerous factors that can cause weight gain. It is better to get to know someone for yourself then to judge on appearance alone.

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