My Stigma Research Paper

As a young, white, cisgender woman, most of my existence is free of any sort of stigma. Outwardly, I represent one of the most privileged groups in society, and often face less consequences for my identity that other individuals. However, certain parts of me cause stigma to be placed on me. I am stigmatized through my sexuality, my mental illness, and though it seems odd, as someone who no longer has a mother. But the main source of stigma in my life is my weight. For all of my life, I have been a relatively fat girl. My family, both maternal and paternal sides, are heavy individuals, so it comes as no shock that I am also a large person. Genetics and socialization have played a role, equalling out to me being fat. This is something that I

There are some forms of deviance that come by choice, like committing a crime, and some forms of deviance that have no element of choice, like a visible birth defect. Weight falls on a weird place on this scale, with some people arguing that fatness occurs completely by choice, while others look at it as something that has many contributing factors. The word “fat” has taken on a completely warped connotation. The actual word simply means that there is more flesh on a person or thing. In our society, fat is a dirty word that has extremely negative implications. It is used as an insult, instead of as the adjective it is intended to be. Stigma around weight has become deeply rooted in our society, to the point that people often do not notice how pervasive it really is. Rebecca Puhl and Chelsea Heuer discuss the fact that “…this form of stigma is rarely challenged in North American society and its public health implications have been primarily ignored.” (2010). The pair go on to address the fact that fat shaming and placing stigma on fat people is often excused by people saying they are only looking out for the health of overweight people (Puhl & Heuer, 2010). And that certainly is an interesting point – for most sources of stigma, people try to excuse their opinions by saying it is for the greater good. With weight, it is much easier to excuse toxic and

Tannenbaum’s theory of tagging and the dramatization of evil seems to be particularly relevant to being fat. Tannenbaum theorizes that society tags specific acts as deviant, and if a person commits that act, they themselves become evil in the eyes of society (Bereska, 2014). As related to weight, the initial deviant act would be overeating or inactivity. Though many fat people maintain healthy lifestyles, it is often assumed that the engaged in that initial act of deviance, even if someone did not personally witness it. From that assumption comes the dramatization of evil – that person becomes nothing but fat, which in my experience, is often associated with a lack of self control and emotional issues. By some, fatness is viewed as an evil, contagious disease that is spread by associating with an overweight person. The other labelling theory that fits well with discussions of being overweight is Howard Becker’s concept of master status. Essentially, Becker theorizes that when someone has a deviant label prescribed to them, it becomes their whole identity to those on the outside (Bereska, 2014). When someone is given the label of “fat” or “obese”, it becomes the only thing people can see. I find that in my own personal interactions, I have to prove that I am more than a fat woman to be take seriously, and give everything of myself to be treated as an actual