In America, it is no surprise to see obese people. They know they are obese, they just don't care. In Britain, you see just as many obese people, but they don't care because they don't think they are obese. They don't even think they are 'very overweight'. 

Fewer than 10 percent of clinical obese Brits think they have a weight problem.

In results from a 2012 survey of around 2000 adults published in
BMJ Open, only 11 percent of obese women acknowledged they were "obese", with most describing themselves as "very overweight" or "just right".  At least they know those positive body image campaigns are working. 

Among men, only 7 percent of the obese correctly described themselves as being "obese" and another 16 percent as "very overweight". Approximately 10 percent of people in the survey knew the BMI threshold for obesity and those who did were more likely to define themselves as "obese".

Fat is the new normal. Even Calvin Klein is embracing this new normal, though a Size 10 model was not big enough, according to women on the Internet. Models need to be fatter to be more realistic of how people want to look without guilt. Researchers suggest that as bigger sizes become the new "normal", people are less likely to recognize the health problems associated with their weight. 

Myla Dalbesio is a plus-sized model, but she is not fat. And that is a problem for a whole lot of people who want to reshape media culture to suit their desires. via Twitter.

Professor Jane Wardle, co-author and director of the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Centre at University College London, said, "It's a real worry that people don't recognize that their weight places them in the obese category, because it means they aren't aware they are at increased risk of a number of health problems including cancer.

"This is despite increased media coverage of obesity, and public health campaigns aimed at improving public awareness.

"The term 'obese' is often considered derogatory, which may be why so many people reject it. Mass media often illustrate obesity in a way that people find offensive, with pictures of bulging beer bellies and huge behinds, so people shy away from these images.

"But we also asked people whether they felt they were "very overweight" and the majority of those who were obese did not accept this term either. This is a real problem, as it means they are unlikely to identify with health messages on the subject of weight.

"We need to establish better ways for health professionals to address this sensitive subject and communicate with people whose health would benefit from positive lifestyle changes."

Around 18,000 cases of cancer in the UK each year are linked to being overweight or obese. Excess weight is known to increase the risk of several types of cancer including cancers of the breast in post-menopausal women, bowel, womb, esophagus, pancreas, kidney and gallbladder.