When Size Affects Income

by Lashell Hoover | More from this Blogger

02 Mar 2007 11:42 PM

Size discrimination affects skinny people as well as obese people. One does not have to be anorexic to have an ultra thin frame. One of my aunts is 5'8" tall and wears a size 6. She doesn't like to talk about weight although she has never been larger. Occasionally, she hears negative comments about her size which makes her angry. These are rude, insensitive comments that she has heard for most of her life. Throughout her twenties and thirties, she was no larger than a size 4. In her adolescent years, she could wear a size zero. She has been called a "stick" and "bony." She also has been told that a good breeze could blow her away.

Model, Olivia Inge is no stranger to comments about her weight. She overhears people making negative comments when she's out in public. She can't eat at a restaurant without being criticized for her food choices. Since the campaign against skinny models was launched, she has lost a few modeling jobs. She is thin due to genetics, not because she has an eating disorder. Her body shape resembles that of her late grandmother who was 6' tall and very thin. Inge, her mother, her sister, and two of her aunts all have the same build. The combination of height, 5'11" tall, and weight, about 126 pounds, makes her appear super skinny.

Finding employment can be just as daunting when you're obese. Some companies are afraid of the cost of medical benefits for an obese person while others worry that the person's size will be displeasing to their customers. Unless a job has certain aspects that require a specific size, weight should not be an issue. The job should go to the most qualified individual.

In Inge's case, her career is based on her appearance, but designers and photographers should ask, "Is this model healthy?" If you ask that question, size really isn't that important. There should be models of every size, shape, and age walking the catwalk so that there is better representation of the average consumer. There is no such thing as the perfect body. Too many people, both thin and obese, are doing damage to their health trying to attain perfection.

Learn more about Lashell Hoover

Lashell Hoover lives in Maryland with her husband, three children, and beloved pets. A former SAHM, she is currently a full-time university student. She enjoys writing, reading, music, art, and life.

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Eve Bristow (40) 03 Mar 2007 06:39 AM

I have always had exactly the same problem. I eat what I want I'm hungry, and stop when I'm satisfied. I've never been able to figure out how anyone can continue to eat when they are no longer actually hungry, overeating makes me nauseous. My stepmother (a very heavy woman) went so far as to convince my dad to have me put in a psychiatric hospital for anorexia when I was 15.

Lisa P (24013) 03 Mar 2007 07:08 AM

"There is no such thing as the perfect body. Too many people, both thin and obese, are doing damage to their health trying to attain perfection."

AMEN! Thank you!