Trigger warning: This article mentions body shaming words, weight, and eating disorders. Some readers may find this content upsetting or uncomfortable. Please read at your own pace and reach out for support if needed.
Body shaming (BS) is external pressure to achieve certain appearance standards or ideals, often making people feel bad about their body, shape, or appearance. Understanding what body shaming means is important because many people have grown up hearing hurtful comments so often that they start to believe they are normal. For some, these experiences lead to lasting body dissatisfaction, poor body image, and a complicated relationship with eating and health.
What does body shaming look like?
Body shaming takes many forms, targeting aspects like body size, shape, weight, height, skin appearance, or specific features. It can involve pressuring people to change their bodies, criticizing weight gain or loss, or labeling someone as “too thin” or “too big.” These behaviors reinforce harmful beauty standards that suggest only certain bodies are acceptable, and often lead to shame, anxiety, and even disordered eating.
Body shaming can occur anywhere, from schools, workplaces, families, online, and even in healthcare settings. For teens, it often begins early through teasing, jokes, or comparisons, sometimes tied to rigid gender norms. Those exploring gender identity may face added pressure to conform, intensifying body shame.
Common examples of body shaming include:
- Comments like “You look fat today” or “You’re too skinny.”
- Comparing bodies: “She looks better than you” or “He’s more fit.”
- Jokes about weight, height, or features.
- Unsolicited “advice” after pregnancy or weight changes.
- Strangers making remarks about body size in public.
- Social media posts rating appearances, criticizing bodies, or sharing memes that shame certain shapes.
- Even “body positive” posts still focus on looks instead of acceptance or neutrality.
- Healthcare settings where providers focus only on weight, ignoring symptoms or concerns.
Even well-meaning remarks such as “you could lose a few pounds to be healthier” can be deeply harmful, mistaking size for health. Hurtful comments can come from peers, strangers, and even family members who think they’re motivating someone, but they can cause lasting damage.
Researchers note that social media and advertising amplify these messages, making body shaming feel unavoidable. Studies using content analysis of social media and psychology research show how often people encounter judgment about bodies in everyday life. When people scroll through these images and captions, they might start comparing their bodies to filtered photos and feel bad about their own appearance. Advocates are now exploring solutions like education, awareness campaigns, and even legislation to protect people from harassment.
How body shaming harms body image and mental health
Body shaming doesn’t just affect appearance, but it can also be deeply harmful to overall mental health. When someone hears negative comments about their own body or appearance, they may start to internalize those ideas. Over time, this can create intense body dissatisfaction and poor body image.
Many people begin to monitor their physical appearance constantly, checking perceived flaws in the mirror, comparing themselves to photos online, and feeling anxious in social situations. They may avoid activities they once enjoyed or believe their self-worth depends entirely on looks, weight, and appearance. This often leads to mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and psychological distress.
For some, body shaming and weight stigma trigger unhealthy behaviors around eating and movement. People might try restrictive diets, extreme exercise, or other quick-fix strategies to change their bodies. Others may swing between binge eating, guilt, and harsh dieting. These patterns increase the risk of eating disorders, substance use, and self-harm.
Unrealistic beauty standards affect all genders and ages, and conversations that focus on weight instead of well-being erode self-worth. In many communities, more than half of casual conversations about health or eating still focus on weight, body size, and physical appearance instead of overall well-being. This focus can chip away at a person’s sense of self-worth and makes daily life feel like a judgment zone.
“If you talked to your friends the way you talk to your body, you’d have no friends left.”
~Marcia Hutchinson
The link between body shaming and eating disorders
While not the sole cause, body shaming is a major risk factor for eating disorders. Many people with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, or other forms of disordered eating recall years of hurtful comments and pressure to lose weight. They recall body-shaming words from classmates, teachers, or family members, along with repeated messages that they would only be attractive or lovable if they could lose weight.
This can make the body feel like a “project” instead of a home, leading to dangerous behaviors like purging or extreme restriction. They might begin to believe that their worth depends on constant weight loss, even at the cost of health or life. For some, this pressure leads to restrictive eating, purging behaviors, or other dangerous efforts to change shape or size.
Research in psychology, public health, and eating disorders shows that weight bias and weight stigma do not improve health outcomes. Instead, they increase shame, psychological distress, and the risk of disordered eating. For many people, it can feel like more than half of their daily thoughts are about weight, eating, or how their body looks to other people. This can damage relationships, education, work, and overall quality of life.
Moving from shame toward acceptance and support
It is possible to overcome body shaming and build a kinder relationship with your body. This process does not require pretending to feel body positivity every moment. Some people find that body neutrality feels more realistic. Body neutrality focuses on respecting the human body for what it can do rather than judging its physical appearance.
You can start by noticing negative self-talk, such as calling yourself names in the mirror or repeating hurtful comments like “she’s ugly” in your head. When you catch these thoughts, gently replace them with positive thoughts that focus on self-worth, values, or kindness. For example, “My body is not a problem to fix. I am more than my appearance.” Over time, this practice can strengthen self-love, self-esteem, and psychological health.
Community matters as well. Talk with trusted friends, family members, or support groups about the different forms of body shaming you have experienced. Let them know you want to stop body-shaming talk around you, including jokes that target people’s bodies, weight, or appearance. Ask for practical support, such as changing the subject when conversations turn to weight loss, comments on body parts, or ranking other people’s bodies.
If body shaming has led to restrictive eating, binge eating, purging behaviors, or self-harm, you are not alone. These are signs of real distress, not personal failure. Many people need professional support to untangle body shaming, disordered eating, and mental health concerns. Compassionate care can help you explore how body-shaming words affected your relationship with eating, movement, and health, and support you as you learn new ways to care for your body.
“One day I had to sit down with myself and decide that I loved myself no matter what my body looked like and what other people thought about my body. I got tired of hating myself.”
~Gabourey Sidibe
Here are some practical ways to move from shame toward acceptance and support:
- Notice negative self-talk and body-shaming words in your mind, especially moments when you call your own body names or think “she’s ugly” about yourself or other people’s bodies.
- Gently replace hurtful comments with positive thoughts that honor your self-worth and values, such as “I deserve to take up space and participate fully in my life in my body as it is” or “I am worthy of love for so many reasons that have nothing to do with my body.”
- Practice small acts of self-love and body acceptance each day, like wearing clothes that feel good, resting when you are tired, and respecting your body’s signals around eating and movement.
- Set boundaries around conversations that focus only on weight, body parts, or physical appearance, and let family members or friends know you want to stop body shaming and ranking other people’s bodies.
- Curate your social media feed to reduce exposure to content that makes you feel bad about your body, and follow accounts that support body neutrality, body positive messages, and mental health.
- Reach out for professional help if restrictive eating, binge eating, purging behaviors, or self-harm have become part of your daily life, and work with a team that understands the link between body shaming and eating disorders.
“It’s also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that’s sitting right here right now … with its aches and its pleasures … is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, fully alive.”
~ Pema Chodron
Helpful Resources for Body Neutrality and Support:
- The Body Positive – Tools for self-love and body acceptance
- National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) – Support, screening tools, and helpline
- Center for Body Image Research & Policy – Research and educational resources
- Body Neutrality Guide – Practical tips for shifting focus from appearance to well-being.
- Crisis Support – Call or text 88 for mental health emergencies in the U.S.
At NewCircle Eating Disorder Treatment Center, you are more than a number on a scale or a set of physical features. Your story, your feelings, and your daily life all matter. With the right support, it is possible to build a safer relationship with your body, reduce shame, and move toward a life that feels more free, connected, and your own. Reach out today, call us at (205) 848-4514 or message us through our secure contact form.
Sources:
- National Eating Disorders Association. (n.d.). Body image and eating disorders. National Eating Disorders Association.https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-and-eating-disorders/
- Levinson, J. A., Kinkel-Ram, S., Myers, B., & Hunger, J. M. (2024). A systematic review of weight stigma and disordered eating cognitions and behaviors. Body Image, 48, 101678.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.101678
- Brochu, P. M. (2018). Weight stigma is a modifiable risk factor. Journal of Adolescent Health, 63(3), 267–268.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.06.016
- Dane, A., & Bhatia, K. (2023). The social media diet: A scoping review to investigate the association between social media, body image and eating disorders amongst young people. PLOS Global Public Health, 3(3), e0001091. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0001091
- Cerolini, S., Vacca, M., Zegretti, A., Zagaria, A., & Lombardo, C. (2024). Body shaming and internalized weight bias as potential precursors of eating disorders in adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1356647.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1356647/full
- Salim, F. (2022). Content analysis on body shaming aspects on advertisements. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts, 10(11), 283–293.
https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2211264.pdf - Albert, S. L., Massar, R. E., Cassidy, O., Fennelly, K., Jay, M., Massey, P. M., & Bragg, M. A. (2024). Body positivity, physical health, and emotional well-being discourse on social media: Content analysis of Lizzo’s Instagram. JMIR Formative Research, 8, e60541.
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