science

Obesity social stigma in television

Obesity social stigma in television is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Obesity social stigma in television rather than just read about it. In short: The social stigma of obesity, is defined as the systemic oppression of and discrimination against people who may be considered overweight, obese, or fat by medical standards. Fatphobia exists in many forms and presents itself in both institutional and interpersonal circumstances.

Key takeaways

Obesity social stigma in television belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Obesity social stigma in television to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Obesity social stigma in television from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The social stigma of obesity, is defined as the systemic oppression of and discrimination against people who may be considered overweight, obese, or fat by medical standards. Fatphobia exists in many forms and presents itself in both institutional and interpersonal circumstances. According to numerous academics, fatphobia or general anti-fat bias is common and pervasive. Fatphobia negatively impacts the attitudes and behaviours of individuals towards those considered to be overweight or obese. Employment, relationships, and medical care are some facets of daily living that are all known to be negatively impacted by fatphobic rhetoric or anti-fat assumptions. Fatphobia is produced and spread in many ways, including through advertising and popular media such as television shows. According to a number of scholars, television shows in North America both underrepresent and misrepresent fat people which (re)produces fatphobic rhetoric

Lack of representation A number of studies conducted from 1980 and onwards have found that thin people are generally overrepresented in North American television shows, and fat or overweight people are generally underrepresented in North American television shows. This phenomenon is commonly attributed to what some refer to as the “thin ideal”. Some scholars explain the thin ideal as a societal preference for thin bodies, and consequently a societal aversion to larger bodies. Scholars note that the "thin ideal" most commonly impacts women, but does impact men as well. A study conducted in 1980 found that only a small portion of actors on prime-time television shows were fat or overweight, while the majority were either thin or “average” sized. This study found that 12% of actors represented in prime-time television shows in 1980 were considered fat or overweight, with a majority of that percentage being fat or overweight men and a minority of that percentage being fat or overweight women. A 2003 study found similar results, and stated that both fat or overweight women and men were underrepresented in prime-time television shows. According to this study, overweight or fat women accounted for 14% of actors on prime-time television shows, while overweight or fat men accounted for 24% of actors on prime-time television shows. It has been noted that these percentages are not representative of the obesity rates in North America. As of 2009, overweight or obese people accounted for 67% of the American population.

Negative Stereotypes Studies have found that when individuals considered to be overweight, obese, or fat are present within television shows, their characters are often portrayed through the use of negative stereotypes. Some scholars suggest that negative stereotypes of fat or overweight people within television shows results in those same stereotypes being attributed to fat or overweight people in real life. Joan C. Chrisler and Angela Barney suggest that negative stereotypes within the media even impacts the attitudes of health care professionals when dealing with overweight or obese patients. Common stereotypes of fat people portrayed within television shows include those related to gluttony, insecurity, laziness, sexual undesirability, and physical unattractiveness.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Obesity social stigma in television

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Obesity social stigma in television claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Obesity social stigma in television before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Obesity social stigma in television ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Obesity social stigma in television

In research: Obesity social stigma in television appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Obesity social stigma in television in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Obesity social stigma in television is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fatphobia, Obesity in television, Social stigma, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Obesity social stigma in television outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Obesity social stigma in television in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Obesity social stigma in television means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Obesity social stigma in television out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Obesity social stigma in television in simple terms?

Why does Obesity social stigma in television matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Obesity social stigma in television?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Obesity social stigma in television.