Fat Broke

So apparently, it's not enough that women earn less (about 77% of a man's salary), we also make even less if we're heavier. According to new research published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, skinny women earn an average of $16,000 more a year than their average-size counterparts. For men, being muscular was more important than being skinny. Skinny men earn around $8,000 less than their fit coworkers. It's sad that our societal ideals have been carried to such a subconscious extreme. Thin women and muscle men are literally given more due simply for their physique. I guess bosses see two candidates to promote, both with equally impressive track records, and then look at the person and on some level think -- "This girl is thin and pretty, she must be more successful, more put-together, more in control. She looks like a winner, so she will be." Kinda puts a new spin on "dress for success." Now we have to eat for success too. Of course it's good to be healthy, and on one hand maybe this could be a powerful motivator for people to get in shape -- you could make more money. But we also don't want people developing eating disorders to earn promotions either. Maybe if larger women were making more money they could afford to work less and go to the gym more, or pay for a personal trainer, or buy healthier foods.