The myths and stereotypes about fat people held by American society are often used to justify treating fat people as second-class citizens. This treatment has a devastating effect on the quality of life for fat people:

Employment

Fat people are denied employment, denied promotions and raises, and sometimes fired, not due to factors of competence, but due to an arbitrary standard of "acceptable" weight.

Education

Fat people are often not accepted into graduate programs, and are sometimes harassed and expelled, not because of their grades or conduct, but because they do not fit the school's "image."

Housing

Fat people are sometimes denied the opportunity to rent apartments and houses by biased landlords.

Access to Quality Medical Care

Fat people are often refused treatment, misdiagnosed, or told that every condition is weight-related by biased health care providers.

Public Accommodations

Fat people are often denied access to public transportation, airline travel, theaters and restaurants because seating is not available to them.

Social

Fat people are fair game for ridicule and public humiliation, because they do not look "acceptable."

Each of these is a type of discrimination based on size. NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, is committed to ending size discrimination in all forms.