My point about fear of fat not being a "subclinical issues" in healthy women (see Women are Human Beings, Not Symptoms) just got confirmed with this new article from Medscape Blogs, "Weight Bias on the Ballot," written by Rebecca Puhl.

Sadly but not surprisingly

..."obese female candidates were rated the worst on their leadership qualities compared to all other candidates.  In contrast, obese males fared   better –even better than non-obese males, and this finding remained even after controlling for political beliefs and demographics of participants."