It really is a double-edged sword. At 25 and a curvacious size 8, I got loads of attention, especially from males. Women - well, I was in grad school, and there just weren't many in my PhD program, but of my two best friends, one was 5'1 and weighed maybe 108. The other was 5'4", quite heavy and pear-shaped.

When I was thin and pretty, everything seemed fine until I opened my mouth. The PhD candidate IQ didn't seem to go with the barbie doll package, and guys were intimidated big-time. It didn't matter if they were dates, fellow grad students or profs. If I was going to be pretty, they wanted me as a vapid arm decoration.

Fast forward 60-80 lbs. Now I'm invisible, and people treat me like I'm stupid. One of the reasons I'm losing weight is that it will be hard for hiring committees to take me seriously at my weight, plus, as a sociologist, I know that overweight people tend to get paid less. Ain't that a kicker?

Cheers,

Friday