9781422288450

When overweight persons react so strongly and negatively to their appearance, the reaction often overshadows all of their other characteristics or accomplishments, no matter how noteworthy. Many people are blinded by their weight, becoming overwhelmingly preoccupied with their appearance and blocking out the more-positive feelings important to healthy self- esteem. Consider Amy, an award-winning professional artist from New York. Recently, she received two gold awards for excellence in design at the New York Annual Art Directors Awards Show. The honor is akin to winning the Oscar® for best actress. Yet Amy was miserable when she found out she’d have to accept the award in front of hundreds of other designers. “How can I stand in front of all those people when I’m this heavy? They probably don’t think I deserve the award anyway.” Depending on the frequency and intensity of these feelings, an over- weight person may isolate himself from social situations, especially ones linked to eating or appearance (like attending an awards dinner or shopping for clothes with friends). In these arenas, any outgoing personality traits often lose out to self-consciousness. Sometimes the barrier, though, is strictly physical. Negotiating stairs, cars, and a world designed for the thin

Weighing on Your Mind: The Psychological Impact / 83