Abstract
The existence and possible causes of weight bias, stigma, prejudice and subsequent discrimination is well documented in professional journals and scholarly works. Comparatively little focus, however, has been afforded to research targeting the theoretical and practical means to address the social stigma of obesity. This brief literature overview substantiates the pervasive nature of weight bias that exists in our communities, schools, and the workplace, as well as explores the roots and nature of prejudice as it relates to the obese. The concluding discussion proposes that revisiting weight bias through the lens of symbolic interaction theory can yield valuable insight that, if applied to the development of meaningful education programs, can improve societal attitudes towards the obese as well as improve the attitudes of the obese towards themselves by replacing the distorted fun-house mirror reflected appraisals with a “looking glass self” that reflects accurate data.
Recommended Citation
Balogh-Robinson, Latisha Lynn
(2012)
"Through the Looking Glass: Weight Bias Revisited from a Symbolic Interactionist Point of View,"
Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association: Vol. 2010, Article 3.
Available at:
https://docs.rwu.edu/nyscaproceedings/vol2010/iss1/3