Body shaming is not a new concept—whether it’s a magazine cover examining a celebrity’s weight change or a relative making an uninvited comment over the dinner table, many of us have experienced using our bodies as a discussion topic. Fortunately, in recent years, more attention has been drawn to the negative impact of negative thoughts and words surrounding people’s bodies. Body shaming has a negative impact on one’s self-esteem, mood, and relationships. Changing your perspective and becoming more positive about your own and others’ appearances can significantly impact your quality of life.
What Exactly Is Body Shaming?
Body shaming is the act of publicly or privately insulting your own or other people’s bodies. It is frequently not intended to be immediately harmful, but it is. Body shaming occurs when you express unwelcome and unasked-for unpleasant ideas and comments about another person’s body, even if you do not want to injure the individual.
Body Shaming Types
- Body shaming: “He has wide hips for a guy.”
- Skinny shaming: “She should get plastic surgery.”
- Shaming for physical attractiveness: “You’ll never find a date with those thighs.”
- Body hair shaming: “Dang bro, she has a better mustache than me.”
- Food shame: “Do you need dessert? You could live without it.”
- Gender shaming: “If he’s a man; he should put on some muscle.”.”
How Does Body Shaming Affect You?
Body shaming can have a range of effects on people. According to research, body shaming can cause depression, body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, anxiety, an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, and harmful behaviors such as eating disorders, overexercising, and exercise avoidance.
Furthermore, when people use body shaming to urge weight loss in themselves or others, it frequently backfires, resulting in weight gain, excessive weight loss, and harmful habits. A weight bias causes physiological and behavioral changes connected to poor metabolic health and weight gain. Stress from these negative experiences may trigger stress hormones such as cortisol and diminish self-control, raising the risk of binge eating. With so much emphasis on physical appearance, other elements of your life may also suffer. You may avoid social activities, exercise, dating, sex, and other aspects of a balanced life. More importantly, the time spent agonizing over your physique implies less time for other activities such as education, self-improvement, charitable work, and enjoyable hobbies.
Stop Body Shaming and Become More Body-Inclusive
Body shaming can rapidly become a habit, especially if those around you do it. Stopping a harmful habit is difficult, but it is worthwhile. One important first step is to unfollow people on social media who make you feel physically worthless. Body shaming and low body image have been linked to social media more than any other contributing element. The more time people spend on social media, the more body shaming and unhappiness they experience.
Disapproving remarks from family, including parents, can also be a factor. According to research, having critical words about your physical appearance as a child influences how you think about your body and has the potential to lead to body shaming and disordered eating practices. Speaking up and establishing clear limits about what you will and will not tolerate from those close to you can assist in breaking the pattern.
Additional Information
Finally, resist if you are tempted to remark about someone else’s body. Even complimenting someone on their weight loss or telling them they look great in specific clothing or makeup can backfire. These remarks imply that the person’s worth has increased due to bodily changes, even if you don’t know what caused them. Illness, for example, can result in weight reduction that was neither wanted nor attempted. And implying that someone looks better in one manner implies that they appear less perfect in another. Remove the emphasis from the tangible and replace it with accomplishments that have more value and longevity.
Kim’s Final Thoughts…
Body shaming is not always visible. However, small, seemingly insignificant statements can have a significant impact on a person’s self-esteem. It’s best to avoid making general comments about people’s physical appearance, especially regarding topics like weight, attractiveness, gender conformity, and what they choose to wear or not wear. If you are struggling with body image, body shaming, or other related issues and feel unable to change them, contact a therapist who can assist you. Discuss your feelings with trusted friends and family members, and keep clear boundaries with yourself and others in mind.
