Weight Stereotyping: The Secret Way People Are Judging You Based on Your Body

The most important part: “How do we stop all this weight stereotyping? First, challenge the way people judge you. If someone presumes to know your personality based on the way you look, have a ready comeback. (Ressler suggests: “I wonder why you’d make that assumption about me. You don’t even know me.”) And question the way you judge others. “If you see a thin woman and your mind leaps to ‘stuck-up,’” Ressler advises, “take that original thought and exaggerate it as far as possible: ‘Oh, I bet she eats only three spinach leaves a day and spends all her time on the treadmill, staring at herself in the mirror, and is mean to kittens….’ Do you see how silly that is? The most extreme thing is just as untrue as the original thought.”

Finally, hit pause the next time you find yourself sizing someone up. Every time you stop weight-judging in its tracks, you help the world see women for who they really are. Northern-King, who’s been called lazy even though she’s putting herself through school, is all for that. “No woman of any size matches on the inside what she appears to be on the outside,” she says. “And if even one girl sees things differently after reading this story, I’ll be happy.””