So Why Are Lesbians More Likely To Be Overweight?

Study finds that 75 per cent of American lesbians are obese or overweight because of 'low athletic self-esteem', but what is that anyway?

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by Sophie Wilkinson |
Published on

There are many stereotypes about lesbians – they’re man-hating, checked-shirt wearing, cat-obsessed vegans who only drink herbal tea. We’re not sure if there’s been any conclusive research into any of these stereotypes but one stereotype that has been explored is the one that goes that lesbians are fat.

Harvard’s School of Public Health, which has been running a four-year research project into why lesbians are prone to obesity, has found that the fact 75 per cent of them are overweight or obese is all down to them having ‘low athletic self-esteem’, reports The Washington Post.

But is that really it? And what is ‘low athletic self-esteem’ anyway?

Well, first off, it’s important to note that all Americans have a really high proportion of overweight people as it is; 69 per cent of all adults are overweight or obese, and half of American women are overweight or obese. So what the study, carried out for the National Institute of Health, has been commissioned to do is find out: why are lesbians 1.5 times more likely to be overweight or obese than straight women?

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We totally understand the sports-related theory from the people in charge of the report. Though a whole stereotype runs that lesbians are more into competitive sport, this works both ways. As well as feeling camaraderie around other gay sportswomen, sometimes women who might be questioning their sexuality – especially when they’re only teenagers – will purposefully duck out of sports sessions for fear of being branded a lesbian, or defined as butch. It’s not right, and we can imagine the stigma of being branded manly or a lesbian might affect many straight women who’d like to take up sport, too.

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But on top of that, what we’ve found most interesting from our research is statistics from the US’s Weight-control Information Network saying that a ridiculously similar proportion of men as lesbians are overweight or obese. Seriously – it’s 74 per cent of men to lesbians’ 75. And some reports of the study – most of which are focusing on the fact that the US Government has put $3m (£1.83m) towards it – report researcher S Bryn Austin’s comments. She says: ‘In terms of sexual orientation and obesity, lesbians and bisexual girls and women, along with heterosexual men, seem to be the hardest hit.’

‘Why is that? We don’t know, but our study is designed to find out so we can come up with better ways to combat the epidemic for these communities.’

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It might simply be that when you don’t feel the need to look attractive to a man you’re less likely to give a shit about your weight. Maybe it’s also that - from our anecdotal evidence - lesbians might not feel comfortable at either feminised 'girl-friendly' activities like yoga and pilates, or lifting weights in the gyms where gay men conform to their own gym bunny stereotype. The fact that gay men in the report have ‘a greater desire for toned muscles’ shows that it’s not just an LGBT issue, it’s a women’s issue.

We’re not sure why the report is being done. The summary says that ‘racial and socioeconomic disparities are receiving increasing attention’ and that lesbian obesity is ‘of high public-health significance,’ but something tells us that if all of America’s obesity levels were lowered, all of the lesbians’ obesity levels would be lowered, too. And if all women felt more comfortable doing sport, then lesbians would feel more comfortable doing sport.

Liked this? You might also be interested in:

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Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.

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