“In general, girls who are obese are less likely to enter college, more likely to fail courses, more likely to be truant, and more likely to show mental health problems, net of other relevant individual and family background characteristics, than girls who are not. By and large these relationships were not evident for boys. But more importantly for this section, the associations of obesity with college attendance and truancy were stronger for girls who attended high school with very few obese students, suggesting that the stigma associated with obesity varies by gender and by the proportion of the student body that is obese.”

Eccles & Roeser (2011) “Schools as Developmental Contexts During Adolescence,” pg. 232

This section really struck a chord with me. For the past year or so, I have dabbled in the world of body positivity, learning about how people become victimized by a society that constantly discriminates against larger, softer bodies and bodies with “undesirable” shapes. When I think of young women being unable to reach their potential due to something as superficial as the size or shape of their bodies, as if there is no capable mind or beautiful soul underneath, I feel sad and angry.

From my own personal experience, larger bodies are often susceptible to bullying in school, which may cause adolescents to struggle with their self-worth. Those who are thinner possess a certain amount of privilege, as they don’t need to live being judged, excluded, or discriminated against due to their body. Of course, thin adolescent women may have their own insecurities and body image issues as well, since hardly anyone truly has the “ideal” body we see on magazines, or nowadays, on Instagram and other social media. But obese women are likely to suffer far more due to the fatphobia that seems rampant throughout our society. I worry a lot about body image issues during adolescence. The farther a person is from being conventionally “attractive,” the more likely she (or he) will suffer from low self-esteem and rejection by peers.

To be honest, I don’t believe the perfect solution is to help obese students lose weight and become thinner. I don’t believe people should allow their self-worth to be tied to their weight. I understand that there are certain health concerns associated with obesity, but mental health is important too. Even if a young woman were to lose a lot of weight, obtain a body deemed more acceptable by society, and ultimately feel better about herself, what if she were to gain the weight back later in life? Would she suddenly be worthless again? Of course not. She was never worthless in the first place; she was just made to believe that she was.

People deserve to feel good about themselves at all shapes and sizes so that they can continue to work on aspects of their lives outside of their bodies. Also, people should not put their life and goals on hold just to lose weight. Obese women are capable of passing classes and attending college as they are physically, but maybe not as they are emotionally or mentally due to societal stigmas and discrimination.