Blame television! I don't think weight is a negative issue on UK tv today; inded, there have been some drama series where the good guys are all b-i-g. But I picked up on the US body semiology in tv and movies a long time ago. If there's a fat guy, he's thick: he's comic relief. If he's fat with a beard, he's a greedy bad guy. If he wears glasses he's a nerd (or an accountant) (If he's thin with a beard, he's a smart bad guy.) Remember the villain in "Jurassic Park"? A fat guy with a beard and glasses. Remember "Goonies"? The fat kid was greedy, cowardly, unreliable, treacherous; the fat bad guy let the other bad guys down.

Teevision influences attitudes: kids see the way people behave and start to belive that's "normal".

Steve