Attitudes toward weight are further complicated by social class. It is said that “You can never be too rich or too thin,” and in fact heaviness is much more common among people of lower socioeconomic status. It is common for the privileged class to view weight as a measure of one’s character: People are fat because they are too lazy or irresponsible to take care of themselves. Weight carries a moral judgment, allowing the thin (wealthy) to justify their social position. If the poor and minorities are getting fatter, it is even more proof that they are less responsible and less worthy.
