Woman Takes Pictures Of Strangers To Show How The Public Reacts To Overweight People

FEB 21, 2018

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With body positivity topic gaining more and more popularity in today's media, it is no surprise that various artists also start exploring this question. Photographer Haley Morris-Cafiero, for example, went out into the streets and started taking pictures of herself 'acting neutrally' and 'being distracted' in public in order to capture the reaction of random passers-by on camera. With these series of pictures the artist, who herself is overweight, is trying to show everyone what it really means to be overweight in today's society. The project called 'Wait Watchers' stirred enough controversy online for Morris-Cafiero to respond to the most common remarks she received with yet another series of pictures. Most of the comments claimed that if she tried a little more, like started exercising, used some makeup, or just dressed up nicely, people wouldn't stare at her that much, so the woman decided to do those exact things and see if it changed people's reaction. According to the pictures, it didn't make a difference. The photographer has struggled with eating disorders in the past and suffers from Hypothyroidism, a disorder that often affects person's weight. Still, she is happy with the way she looks and loves her body the way it is. She claims that she started the project as a social experiment and doesn't mean to make anyone feel bad about it, she's just trying to reflect the situation in the society. Still, not everyone supports the photographer's claims that this is an accurate representation of people's reactions. Many audiences noticed that some of the passers-by might be looking at something just outside of the frame or giving her an accidental glance that might not necessarily be a negative one. Scroll down to look at the pictures and see whether you support the artist's opinion or not. More info: haleymorriscafiero.com | Twitter (h/t)

The full series can be found on a book that Haley Morris-Cafiero published here