'Fat-Shaming' Could be Effective Strategy in Curbing Obesity, Says Bioethicist

Weight-acceptance advocates disagree

'Fat-shaming,' or putting social pressure on the overweight, is believed to be an effective strategy to curb the obesity epidemic and promote weight loss, according to a senior research scholar. Daniel Callahan, a bioethicist, outlined a plan to promote public health awareness and curb the marketing of unhealthy food, but believes it should be implemented with a dose of shame, too. His posters would pose questions like, “If you are overweight or obese, are you pleased with the way that you look?” But weight-acceptance advocates and doctors are fighting back. “For him to argue that we need more stigma, I don’t know what world he’s living in,” said Deb Burgard, a California psychologist. “No amount of teasing, probing questions about what they wish they could do, or medications seem to help,” said Dr. Tom Inge, an expert in childhood obesity. However, Callahan stands by his belief, though he does worry that increased stigma will lead to more retaliation against overweight people in employment and other areas. He hopes to find a way to pressure people about their extra weight, without making them feel too badly about it. "Can there be social pressure that does not lead to outright discrimination – a kind of stigmatization lite?” he wrote. (Today)

[SUBSCRIBE TO LOOP 21 RSS FEED]