Study shows that overweight Asian-Americans are viewed as more “American”

According to a study by the Association for Psychological Science, being overweight can affect how “American” Asians look.

Image Source: NBC News

The study surveyed 1,200 participants who were shown photos of men who were white, black, Latino, or Asian.

Image Source: MarketWatch

These photos were doctored to make them look both average and overweight to see how the participants perceived their immigrant status.

Image Source: NBC News

The results showed that overweight Asians were viewed as more “American” and less likely viewed as being illegal or undocumented immigrants.

“We found that there was a paradoxical social benefit for Asian-Americans, where extra weight allows them to be seen as more American and less likely to face prejudice directed at those assumed to be foreign.”

— Sapna Cheryan, author of study

Interestingly, people of white, black, or Latino descent didn’t see the same results as Asians.

“Asian-Americans but not white, black, or Latino Americans are associated with foreign countries that are not seen as stereotypically overweight, which enables greater weight to signal an American identity.”

— Authors of study

Source: The New York Times

 

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