Stereotypes associated with body weight: the perspective of Mexican adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22456/2238-152X.132405Abstract
It is scarce evidence about the stereotypes associated with body size. In-depth interviews were conducted with 26 adolescents to find out their perspectives regarding the qualities attributed to people based on body weight in the school environment. They were shown anthropometric silhouettes to share their appreciation in terms of what they considered to be healthy, physically attractive, and socially desirable. We observe that the ideal of female beauty is a slim body, with prominent hips and busts. Whereas in the ideal of masculine attractiveness emphasis is placed on muscle volume and definition. The attributes associated with larger bodies were lazy people, eating a lot and badly, poor physical condition, not healthy, and unattractive. Negative comments about larger bodies were more frequent. Both overweight and obesity and extreme thinness imply a departure from the stereotype of the ideal of beauty, however, the degree of stigmatization is greater towards heavier people.
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