a preference for average-sized children over overweight children as friends. Overweight individuals often find themselves suffering repercussions in many facets of society, including legal and employment issues later in their life. According to a 2010 review of published studies, interventions seeking to reduce prejudice and social stigma against fat and obesity are largely ineffective. Characteristics Weight-related stigma can be characterized by the following aspects: An individual does not have to be overweight or obese to experience weight-related stigma. Studies have indicated that experiencing weight stigma reinforces lifestyle behaviors that contribute to obesity. Many groups who are subjected to stigmatisation tend to be minorities. Overweight and obese individuals make up the majority of the population in the United States and in other parts of the world. Individuals who are overweight or obese tend to devalue their own in-group and prefer the out-group (i.e. thinner individuals). Theoretical explanations In order to understand weight-biased attitudes, theories have been proposed to explain these biases and the subsequent discrimination they cause. Christian S. Crandall discusses the "Justification of Stigmatization". Also his Social Ideology Perspective draws on traditional North American values of self-determination, individualism, and self-discipline. Based on these values, anti-fat attitudes may derive from directing blame for being overweight towards individuals who are overweight. Similarly, the attribution theory suggests that attitudes towards obese individuals are dependent on how much control they are perceived to have over their weight. Throughout the literature, numerous studies have shown support for this theory. One study conducted a multinational examination of weight bias across four countries (Canada, United States, Iceland, and Australia) with comparable obesity rates. The study found that attributions of behavioral causes of obesity were associated with greater weight bias. Similarly, viewing obesity as being caused by a lack of willpower was also associated with greater weight bias. There appears to be a decrease in weight bias when weight is attributed to factors that are less within the individual's control, or when individuals are perceived as trying to lose weight. However, evidence also exists showing that biases against obese individuals also include disgust towards them, which can persist regardless of if one knows that obesity is not caused by obese individuals' actions. Fatphobia is a socially constructed phenomenon of particular prevalence in the western world. Societies produce the sort of bodies they need. The west values healthy and strong bodies that prioritize agility, endurance and fertility - with