(8 of 10 U.K.) Obese in despair about their size (BBC News)

[Up2Late]

("...Catherine Zeta-Jones was said to have the best female figure and Brad Pitt the ideal male physique..." Well yeah, Duh.)

Thursday, 30 June, 2005, 01:28 GMT 02:28 UK

Obese in despair about their size

Two-thirds of overweight women say they feel that life is not worth living because of their size, a survey reveals.

Of the 4,000 questioned for the National Slimming survey, only 1% were happy with their shape. Nine out of 10 felt depressed and eight out of 10 utter despair about their weight.

The research for Slimming World found overweight men faced similar angst based on replies from 1,000 men. More than nine out of 10 of those questioned said they felt like "second class citizens" and seven out of 10 said they had been "pilloried and poked fun at". Overall, 98% said that society discriminated against overweight people.

Many blamed the celebrity culture and pressure from the Government to be slimmer for causing greater victimisation of overweight people than ever before. Among the overweight women, half said they cut the size labels out of their clothes and over a third said they would have cosmetic surgery now or in the future.

When asked which celebrity body shapes they aspired to, Catherine Zeta-Jones was said to have the best female figure and Brad Pitt the ideal male physique. Comedian Peter Kay was voted "most attractive larger man", over Robbie Coltrane and Eamonn Holmes, while Dawn French was considered "most attractive larger lady", ahead of Fern Britten and Caroline Quentin.

(More and the manditory picture of an obese person from the neck down atlink above)

[daleo]

1. Research for Slimming World

I think that tells you the most important thing about this study.

[Up2Late]

2. What? You think it's a bit biased?

O.K. maybe I fell victim to the hype too, but they might have a good reputation in the U.K.:shrug:

I bet in this country, it would have been sponsored by the makers of Prozac.

[daleo]

5. I am surprised BBC used a corporate survey as news.

Yeah, it might just be a bit biased. It reminds me of those surveys by perfume companies that let us know what scents people find sexiest. And they just happen to have some in stock.

"Of the 4,000 questioned for the National Slimming survey, only 1% were happy with their shape."

Unbiased surveys seldom find results that definitive. Usually a few percent will say something quite contrarian just for the hell of it. No great harm in these surveys, I guess, as long as people can take the bias into account.

[MisterP]

3. 'tis a fight between Big Pharma and Big Food: everyone

run away at high speed from both!

[sleipnir]

4. Well, I guess there will be an endemic of suicides in the UK now.

Or at least that's what I gleaned from the article. No one seems to want to live if they're overweight by even a few pounds.

[snickersnee]

6. hell, i'm so fat...

i can't even *fit* in despair.

[Up2Late]

8. I hate to laugh, but that WAS funny

:dilemma:

[Merlin]

7. This is not BS

It's absolutely the truth. You'd get pretty much the same results here in the US except much of the redneck crowd probably wouldn't be sober of mind enough to own up to it.