Actually, I'm 49. 100 years ago, some extra weight was called 'looking prosperous', and it was considered desirable. After all, it was the wealthy that looked like that.
However, carried to excess, it was always considered ugly...and many of the people waddling our streets and riding in carts inside Wal-Mart would have once been considered freaks from a carnival show.
Fatness is NOT considered a pariah - can't be, since it is more common than thinness.
Well, maybe it depends on where you are. You don’t see the same crowd at a trendy martini bar as you do a walmart or all-you-can-eat buffet.