Introduction

Words matter, and have the power to hurt. Even when we don’t realize it, words can cause someone to pause and pursue unrealistic expectations about their body. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, about 65% of people with eating disorders say that bullying contributed to their condition. Negative connotations about weight and body image can lead to low self-esteem, social isolation, poor body image, and has also been shown to directly contribute to the development of eating disorders.

What is body shaming?

Body shaming is the act of deriding or mocking a person's physical appearance. The scope of body shaming is wide, and can include, although is not limited to fat-shaming, shaming for thinness, height-shaming, shaming of hairiness (or lack thereof), of hair-color, body-shape, one's muscularity (or lack thereof), shaming of looks (facial features), and in its broadest sense may even include shaming of tattoos and piercings or diseases that leave a physical mark such as psoriasis.

Body shaming is ubiquitous. It’s in magazines, newspapers, television shows, movies, conversations between friends, on the Internet and social media sites. Comments can be nasty and sometimes used in poor-taste comedy. Nobody should have to live in a world where they’re made to feel bad about their bodies by other people, especially considering people are often critical enough of their own appearance. Some shocking examples of body shaming include a Fox News host saying that Kelly Clarkson should ‘stay off the deep-dish pizza for a while’. A cruel photo of a pregnant Kim Kardashian being likened to a whale went viral across social media sites and former Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole has campaigned against body shaming after being subjected to cruel taunts about her slender frame. The consequences of body shaming are severe, whether you’re chastising yourself or someone else, and can contribute to mental health problems.