A Weighty Matter Do pounds play a role in how well someone can do his or her job?

In another life — long before I took on this job –– I recall sitting across from a young man who wanted to work for the company that had hired me just a few years before. My boss at the time asked me to join him for a series of interviews with prospective employees.

Things seemed to be going great for this particular college graduate.

He seemed enthusiastic. He exhibited drive. With a couple of internships under his belt, he seemed confident about his prospects of getting a job with us.

It’s still amazing to me now how fast that look of confidence was wiped off his face. It occurred in a matter of nanoseconds.

My boss, in a friendly enough tone, asked him if he thought he would be up to the rigors of the job, which would require long hours and a demanding work load.

Though I don’t remember the words exactly, he said something along the lines of: “With your weight, do you think it will be too much for you physically?”
The guy’s face immediately deflated as he stammered out an answer that somehow managed to indicate that it wouldn’t be a problem.

I was so shocked by the question I didn’t immediately know what to say to soften the blow.

I was embarrassed for the young man, who likely tipped the scales at about 250 pounds or more on a 5-foot-9 or 5-foot-10 frame. I found myself glancing at the wall to avoid facing the painful look on his face.

After all the dust had settled and the guy had left, I recalled thinking, Is it legal to even ask a question like that?

I still don’t know the answer.

But that interview came to mind recently when Judy K., a friend of mine, posed a question on Facebook.

Why, she wanted to know, were so many critics talking about Regina Benjamin’s weight? Media critics have asked if she’s too plump to effectively serve as our newly appointed surgeon general. They’ve asked, “Is she setting the right example for so many Americans who have problems with being overweight or obese?”

Judy K. made the point that C. Everett Koop also carried around some extra pounds — but no one ever made a fuss about his weight. She wanted to know,

“Is it a gender issue?”

Even if it isn’t a gender issue, it is a weighty issue for millions of Americans. My former boss said it outright. Media critics are now talking about it. Should a person’s weight be a factor in deciding how well she or he can do a job?

Let me know what you think...
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by Shari Scales Finnell