How important is your 'look' as a nurse

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Especially when it comes to getting hired, pay raises and such things. I mean, I'm sure hospital administration can't possibly expect us all to look like super models, but isn't there some sort of 'look' hiring managers tend to gravitate toward?

If you're 300 pounds and feel great, more power to ya... I don't think gastric bypass surgery and "fat camps" would be such a booming business if that were the case.

I am shocked at how many nurses seem to think it's OK/harmless/acceptable to be overweight. Very few medical conditions cause obesity.... it's mostly choice.

If you think "feeling horrible" as a direct physical result of being overweight is the sole reason people get weight loss surgery, attend fat camps, or even diet, then you are missing a huge piece of the picture. Lets think about some other reasons why people might do those things:

-They are tired of dealing with the shame and stigma that fat people face on a daily basis

-They want a chance to get some societal approval

-They are constantly being told they are unhealthy, and need to be fixed

-Their existence is called a "problem" and "epidemic," and then blamed on their behavior

-Any medical problems they have are likely to be blamed in their fatness. Weight loss is prescribed as the only real solution

-All of the above fueled by the diet and weight loss industry, which rakes in over 60 billion a year.

It is OK and acceptable to be overweight!! Yes, yes, yes! Just like it is OK and acceptable for you to lose weight if that is what you want to do! You don't get to decide for anyone but yourself. OK?

It doesn't matter for the purpose of this discussion what causes obesity. I don't care if someone does nothing but sit around eating donuts and weighs 2000 lbs. They are still acceptable as a person. And guess what, they could even be a nurse! Just because you don't choose the same for yourself doesn't mean they can't do so for themselves.

If a person becomes paralyzed from jumping into shallow water, to they deserve to be shamed and stigmatized and blamed, because they did it to themselves? Maybe they should be denied medical care, since they are personally at fault. What about alcoholics with liver cirrhosis. Should they have their rights taken away too?

The fact that you view the changes you have made in your life as "suffering" is telling. Why do you expect anyone else to get on board with your "suffering"? And then say they are not acceptable if they do not.

If you are like 95% of dieters, statistically, you will gain your weight back within 5 years. If you are like 2/3 of them, you will be even fatter than when you started. But don't worry, it's mostly choice. I'm sure all those other people just weren't willing to stick with the changes.

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Of course being overweight is not healthy. I don't think anyone here has said it's "harmless" to be overweight. I think people are just annoyed with all the assumptions that are made. An overweight person is not automatically unhealthier than a thin person. Especially when obesity or being overweight seems to be determined by setting a weight a person "should be" based on their height. Body shape or muscle mass can make measurements like BMI very misleading. And not all overweight people are diabetic or have heart disease or low energy. These are the assumptions that annoy.

And, yes, it is discrimination when an obese nurse is passed over for promotions because of their weight. All that should matter is whether or not the nurse can do the job. I haven't worked with any fat nurses whose work is affected by their weight. And, again, saying that fat nurses "set a bad example" to patients is nothing but pure ridiculousness.

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Specializes in ANCC - Gerontological Nursing.

Denial must be an amazing place to live.......

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Denial of what? I am not in denial of anything.

Fat people should have the same rights as thin people and that includes working in whatever job capacity they are capable of working. They should not have to face shame and stigma because of the bodies they live in. They should not be judged and assumptions made about their health and personal habits because of how they look. Take away the word "fat" and insert any racial, cultural, or other physical description of a group of people identifiable on sight and the same thing would be valid.

We don't live in that kind of world yet. But surely, that WOULD be an amazing place to live.

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Specializes in ANCC - Gerontological Nursing.
Denial of what? I am not in denial of anything.

Fat people should have the same rights as thin people and that includes working in whatever job capacity they are capable of working. They should not have to face shame and stigma because of the bodies they live in. They should not be judged and assumptions made about their health and personal habits because of how they look. Take away the word "fat" and insert any racial, cultural, or other physical description of a group of people identifiable on sight and the same thing would be valid.

We don't live in that kind of world yet. But surely, that WOULD be an amazing place to live.

I don't judge anyone based on weight and I don't assume anything - even when making hiring decisions, but to absolve people of responsibility for poor choices that they can control of any kind is ridiculous. Some of the best nurses I know are overweight, but it does bother me when they're talking to a patient about the need for an improved lifestyle to better their health when they're clearly not following their own advice. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about it...

I'm not saying everyone that is overweight can control it, but you can't deny that most weight issues are related to choices - choices about eating, physical activity, etc. There is research that proves it. It's a fact, not my opinion. To say that people have no control over their weight in any situation is like me blaming the sun because I got a burn because I chose not to wear sun screen.

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You are missing my point entirely. I'll make it basic.

1. You say you don't judge, but your other points say otherwise. You are obviously making a judgement that a fat person MUST overeat, be sedentary, etc. You simply do not know those things.

2. No one needs your, or anyone else's, absolution for living in their bodies. Fat does not equal bad. It is a body size, not a moral failing.

3. I never said people have no control over their weight. I said weight is not the same thing as health, and you can't know anything about a person just by looking at them, except their size. What makes you the authority on the lifestyle of your coworkers? What do you know about their lives?

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Although I know for a fact that being overweight has nothing to do with a person's ability to perform as a nurse...

You couldn't convince me that you wouldn't bat an eye if a dentist with rotten teeth was lecturing you about the benefits of daily flossing.

Funny you should mention this - as a fatty and a nurse I always hard a hard time when someone who was very thin was telling me they "understood" how hard it was to lose weight.

You should always trust fat people regarding diet because we've spent countless hours researching. You name the diet and I've been on it. I understand the struggle of setting a work out schedule, of measuring and weighing everything, of feeling like weight loss impedes your ability to go out and be normal with friends and family, and I understand what it feels like to try and learn how to love yourself in the face of a society that tells you that you're not worthy of that love.

To that end I work, I move constantly when at work, and I'm fun to work with. I'm just a little sturdier than the standard ideal of what a nurse should be. I also think I'm pretty awesome and accept myself just the way I am - extra fat and all. Having been there and done that I can help other people learn to accept and love themselves too.

And when you love yourself you stop doing things that are self destructive. Like getting into yet another thread about how fat nurses are bad for the profession.

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I skimmed through the posts and don't know how a discussion on appearance could devolve into an argument on obesity. I hope no one is reading this looking for advice on interview appearance/attire or how to present a professional appearance at work.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I skimmed through the posts and don't know how a discussion on appearance could devolve into an argument on obesity. I hope no one is reading this looking for advice on interview appearance/attire or how to present a professional appearance at work.

I thought it would be about personal appearance as well, but then the anti-obese obsession touched down and then the thread took a life of it's own...

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I skimmed through the posts and don't know how a discussion on appearance could devolve into an argument on obesity. I hope no one is reading this looking for advice on interview appearance/attire or how to present a professional appearance at work.

I agree this is ridiculous. If so-called professionals can't agree to disagree and *JUST LET IT GO*. not only is it annoying, it's inconsiderate and plain RUDE.

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Specializes in L&D.
Ughhh

Yes, there are plenty of overweight healthy people. There are also plenty of overweight FIT people. Shocking!

The idea that the extra weight is taking a toll, somehow, someway, is also problematic. First, there is plenty of evidence to show that intentional weight loss (what you did) takes a toll. Second, as I've discussed in previous posts, there is no real successful way to get rid of extra weight for the vast majority of people. So telling people to do something that is known to have risks, because of some vague potential future "toll" due to their weight, is probably not the greatest idea.

That comment about slamming down junk food at the nurses station is ridiculous. Skinny people eat junk food. Fat people eat healthy food. And the opposite, and everything in between. Saying that obese people must sit around eating junk food is a tired, biased over-generalization. And I'm being nice choosing those words.

I don't care if you lost 40 pounds, gained 40 pounds, or went to the moon. You don't have to meet a list of physical characteristics in order to do evidenced based patient education. And a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to include weight loss. In fact, in many cases it excludes it.

Im sorry, did you say there is no real successful way to get rid of extra weight? That is a cop out excuse that people make to convince themselves that being obese is okay. Its called EXERCISE. It's also called MAKING BETTER FOOD CHOICES and DEVELOPING HEALTHIER HABITS. Obesity ia a problem in America and as long as we have individuals condoning the over indulgence and gluttony of society, then it will remain an issue. I guarantee if you dedicated 6 months of your life to REALLY exercising the right way and REALLY eating the right foods, you too will see results. Dont make excuses. Beat average dude.

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Specializes in L&D.
I was always told to wear a nursing uniform for interviews.

I am not sure the reason,but since most of us do not wear regular clothes but scrubs anyway,i do not think it would hurt your chances of not finding a job.

Yeah I always thought wearing acrubs to interviews would be more appropriate.

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