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New study shows heavy male politicians considered more reliable, honest than
thinner counterparts
Saturday, January 30th 2010,
4:00 AM
Hindash/The Star-Ledger, Evans/AP
Jon
Corzine (l.) ripped Chris Christie for his weight during the New Jersey's
gubernatorial election last fall, but Christie came out big in the
election.
Male political candidates looking for an edge should hit their local Dairy Queen. Female pols would be better off
hitting the gym.
Researchers found that pudgy male politicos are considered more reliable,
honest and even more inspiring than their thinner counterparts.
For female pols, thin is still in, according to a new study.
"A candidate's physical appearance plays a greater role in evaluation than we
have thought in the past," said Dr. Elizabeth Miller," a political scientist at
the University of Missouri and co-author of the
study.
"We assume voters only pay attention to things like issue position, but to
think that they don't pay attention to physical appearance is a bit naive."
Miller's findings were affirmed in at least one recent election.
In the runup to New Jersey's gubernatorial election last fall,
incumbent Jon Corzine released ads that appeared to
highlight rival Chris Christie's considerable girth.
Christie went on to trample the less hefty Corzine, anyway.
While few obese pols have made it to the Oval Office, William Taft was one of the exceptions.
The rotund Taft tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds and earned the
title "Tubby" after he became stuck inside the White House bathtub numerous
times.
Of course, some stick-thin pols have also managed to win voter's hearts. Just
ask Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Brooklyn, Queens), whose
wiry frame hasn't stopped him from winning a seat on the City Council at age 27
and serving five terms in Congress.
Miller cautioned against giving her findings too much weight.
"Partisanship, ideology and issue position still matter more than physical
characteristics," she noted.
In her study, Miller split 120 volunteers into four groups.
Each group was presented with descriptions and photos of four separate phony
candidates who had the same gender and body type: obese male, skinny male, obese
female, skinny female.
Within each group, each phony candidate's political views differed.
The study subjects then rated the candidates based on a series of criteria,
including honesty and ability to perform.
The obese males were viewed 6% more positively than skinny males, while
skinny women were viewed 5% more positively than their full-figured
counterparts.
Overall, obese females were viewed 10% less favorably than obese males.
The results were of little surprise to some New Yorkers.
When men "are portly or bigger or fatter, they may be associated with a ...
grandfatherly image or a priestly image," said Alvaro Deprat, 46, a writer from Washington Heights.
rschapiro@nydailynews.com