A survey finds America's attitudes toward overweight people are shifting

[Honeykiss1974]

Survey: Beauty standards grows more accepting

Thursday, January 12, 2006; Posted: 12:20 p.m. EST (17:20 GMT)

ALBANY, New York (AP) -- Thin is still in, but apparently fat is nowhere near as out as it used to be.

A survey finds America's attitudes toward overweight people are shifting from rejection toward acceptance. Over a 20-year period, the percentage of Americans who said they find overweight people less attractive steadily dropped from 55 percent to 24 percent, the market research firm NPD Group found.

With about two-thirds of U.S. adults overweight, Americans seem more accepting of heavier body types, researchers say. The NPD survey of 1,900 people representative of the U.S. population also found other more relaxed attitudes about weight and diet.

While body image remains a constant obsession, the national preoccupation with being thin has waned since the late 1980s and early 1990s, said the NPD's Harry Balzer.

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Do you find this to be true among yourself/family/friends/fraternity brothers/sorority sisters? Are people really more accepting? Not to play the "race card" but in the black/latino community it has always been ok to have a some "junk in the trunk"/more curves and whatnot. Do you think the rest of America is following suit?


Discuss

[Coramoor]

I would say...no. The people I am around are active and have self discipline. Sloppy people get on my nerves.

[sugar and spice]

Well obviously fat people are going to more accepted if, uhh, more people are fat. As the obesity rates increase, I imagine the tolerance for obesity is increasing too.

That said, among those who aren't obese, I don't think that tolerance has increased so much as it's become more taboo to express that intolerance. People won't make as many fat jokes, but that doesn't mean that they're "tolerant."

[dzrose93]

Originally posted by sugar and spice
Well obviously fat people are going to more accepted if, uhh, more people are fat. As the obesity rates increase, I imagine the tolerance for obesity is increasing too.

That said, among those who aren't obese, I don't think that tolerance has increased so much as it's become more taboo to express that intolerance. People won't make as many fat jokes, but that doesn't mean that they're "tolerant."

I was thinking the same thing.

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by dzrose93
I was thinking the same thing.

Me, too.

Or three, in this case.