January 23, 1995
Web posted at: 5:50 p.m. EST
From Correspondent Susan Candiotti
PEMBROKE PINES, Florida (CNN) -- Poking fun at overweight people is routine for some critics, but the practice can lead to discrimination.
In some countries, weight gain is a symbol of success and status. In the United States, heavy people frequently are targets of ridicule.
"I don't feel there's a reason for anybody to let themselves go that badly," one woman said. Another woman said it makes her laugh.
"Right now, it seems more acceptable to talk about hatred of weight than any other factor like gender, race, ethnicity, etc.," said Professor Esther Rothblum, a Stanford University researcher. "Some people have said it seems to be our last area where it's absolutely legitimate to discriminate."
It's not easy to challenge weight discrimination. Michigan is the only state where it's outlawed. Everywhere else, alleged victims are turning to another tool, the Americans with Disabilities Act, which has been used successfully to support that obesity is a disability.
However, the Persons with Disabilities Law Center admits that obesity claims, especially those alleging job discrimination, are a tough sell with juries.
"Juries are not so sympathetic with people who are obese because they're made up of the normal populace," said Jim Goodman, from the center. "The normal people you run into on the street are not sympathetic to somebody who's fat."
To be a kid and overweight can be a double whammy. Growing up is tough enough, and extra pounds can make you a target for abuse. Rothblum says it can be a painful experience for children. (85K AIFF sound or 85K WAV sound)
"I walk down the hallways, people call me fat boy, fat thing, you know."
-- Gavin Kesten, former child model
As a successful child model, Gavin Kesten used to fit that so-called ideal of thinness. Along with an impressive portfolio of poses and print ads, he also has a small movie role among his credits. But that was before he started gaining weight. By age 12, an extra 30 pounds forced Gavin to stop modeling.
While he's trying hard to shed weight, Gavin is learning to deal with schoolhouse bullies and cruel comments.
"I walk down the hallways, people call me fat boy, fat thing, you know," Gavin said. "In the beginning, it hurt a lot. Now, I've almost learned to let it just roll off my back."
Unlike some adults for whom weight discrimination is a never-ending battle, Gavin plans to win his war. (85K AIFF sound or 85K WAV sound)
"Ignore it is the key. because if you ignore it, it shows that you're a bigger person than they are," he said.
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