Why do people mock those who are not standard size? (weight, adult)

[no kudzu]

This is written by a professor of photography at a art university after she found herself being publicly mocked for being obese. Her assistant took the photographs of how people react when they see her in public. The picture of the cop is especially inappropriate. It is human nature to give somethng or someone "different" a second look but why do people feel they need to make fun of them, especially adults?

Pictures of people who mock me - Salon.com

[easternerDC]

I think it is an interesting experiment. But after looking at the photos in the article on Salon.com and on her website here: Haley Morris-Cafiero Photography

I think the photos can tell a different story than them looking at her. In the one with the cops, I see them just goofing off for the camera, not doing that because of her weight.

A lot of the photos show people in random shots. I have been caught on film with certain faces similar by my camera crazy mother, and I am not mocking anyone in the photos. In fact it is just me in the photos.

The one where she is holding a map, she is probably getting that look because she is pausing in the middle of a busy sidewalk with a huge map open, not because they are judging her size.

Maybe I am lacking sensitivity here, but I really do not see her being judged in the majority of the photos.

[Themanwithnoname]

Projection on her part

[no kudzu]

But obviously she does so that is what really matters-to her and others who feel judged by society.

[HansProof]

Weight maybe...combined with being particularly unfortunate in the looks department, style department, approachability, maybe hygiene also Looks like her goal was to look as miserable, pathetic and unkept as possible and snowplow this commutation into people simply reacting to her weight.

[Tracysherm]

I also did not "buy" that these people were looking at her in that way specifically because of her weight. I also agree that the cop was being silly, and probably unprofessional, if he didn't know her, but it didn't seem to have anything to do with her size.

I think that if a person is feeling "judged by society," it's not just a problem that "society" has to change. Sometimes the person needs to change, and I don't mean by changing their weight. When you have a chip on your shoulder, you tend to decide that every bad or ambiguous interpersonal experience happens in reaction to the one thing you're focused on.

I could probably get a similar batch of strangers making strange faces while glancing at me. What could I pin that on? My weight? My color? My ugliness? My devastating good looks? My religion? My personality or behavior? A big rip in the back of my pants? Who knows?

Yes, much of society does judge obese people negatively, no argument there. But this particular example seems to be close to 80% projection.

[Coldjensens]

The girl was probably slapping her belly because the gelato made her hungry. She just wanted some gelato.

It must be tough going around thinking everyone who makes a face in your vicinity is mocking you. Funny thing is, she is not all that big. I see more obese people than her every day. I do not see people around them mocking them constantly. I wonder if they perceive people around them mocking them constantly. Frankly I do not buy her "I am comfortable with my body" I think the problem is inside her. She is not comfortable with her body and therefore perceives that everyone around her is mocking her. She is overweight, but she is not one of those super fat people that make everyone stop and say "H.S.!" In fact her physical condition is not that unusual for Americans. I would think truly fat people who do not think everyone around them is mocking them, might get offended by her article.

[harhar]

Well, I find it funny that she goads people into reacting, then chastises them for acting in that manner?

Even though it's not entirely clear that those people are acting in that manner? Or rather acting on something other than her weight. She's a bit goofy in some of these shots and that's not to do with her weight. In addition to the fact that there's a camera present that's not hidden; makes a difference on how it's interpreted and how people react as well.

Also, she obviously can't help her size but she's not immune to wearing clothes that look presentable or acting in a more natural/normal non-goading way. If she wore decent fitting clothes, and presented herself a bit differently I'm sure you'd have a different outcome.

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I'm not excusing people's behavior when mocking does happen, I just feel this exercise is a bit inauthentic.

Also culturally Americans are tame when compared to European countries and rules about shaming and mocking.

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Lastly, put my lonely self on a swing in a crowded park and have someone (or a tripod would be even stranger) take a 100 pictures of me and I dare you to not find of someone looking at me.

I just think when things are inauthentic/or misconstrued that it does a greater disservice to a cause than if you were to take an authentic photo. One candid (an actual Cartier-Bresson type) shot of actual shaming/mocking would have spoke volumes against a few staged shots that may or may not be actual mocking.

[Mathguy]

I'm not defending anyone being actively cruel to someone for any reason. It seems to me that she is visually evesdropping onto the private expressions of those around her and not liking the fact of the matter that some of them find her to be fat....which she is and their private reactions are not cruel.

[Tracysherm]

At the risk of sounding mean, when I look at her picture, I'm not very concerned about her weight at all. What would concern me more is seeing her out by herself without a staff person with her.