Both men and women chose photographs of large individuals when asked to “pick out the healthiest person.” Large body size was generally viewed as an indicator of “more health” and thinness with “less health,” but many also perceived that “too much health” (that is, too large a body size) was undesirable, especially if the body is weakened by diabetes.
Airhihenbuwa has discussed the phenomenon of immigrants holding simultaneously both “traditional” constructs (deeply rooted values and perceptions drawn from the culture of origin) and “recent” ones (drawn from the host culture and less likely to be enduring in the long term).