A recent study by researchers at Yale’s Rudd Center for Food
Policy and Obesity suggests that news outlets frequently utilize
images which portray obese individuals in a stigmatizing
manner–unprofessionally dressed, at unflattering angels, or
eating junk food. File this one under “Duh.” Though
unsurprising, axiomatic studies like this one serve an important
purpose: They speak to our culture’s profound fear of obesity,
and they remind us that we might rightly be shocked by such
degrading and dehumanizing depictions. As it is, a large number
of us will fail to see the prejudice and hatred which fuel the
use of these images, because we’ve come to see obese individuals
as “symbols of an epidemic rather than valued members of
society,” explains Rebecca Puhl, one of the study’s authors. Our
unchecked loathing of obesity can be found lurking in ostensibly
benign places, such as conversations about health, wellness, and
fitness. Yes, it sounds like we’re talking about biology—such as
the number on the scale or how w