Body Shaming and it's effects

There are two types of body shaming: external and internal.

External Body Shaming

We know external body shaming when we hear or see it. It can be overt, like someone catcalling insults about your body on the street. Or it can be subtle — a salesperson in a fitting room saying, “That dress might be more flattering with some Spanx.”

Nowadays, it’s more common online: Anonymous commenters blasting a plus-size model, insisting she couldn’t possibly be healthy and overweight. Or when a tabloid feigns concern that a “scary skinny” celebrity might have an eating disorder.

Internal Body Shaming

You’ve probably seen people body shaming themselves: Instagramming pictures of decadent meals with the hashtag #thisiswhyimfat, telling themselves they don’t “deserve” dessert, or cursing body parts they think are too big or too small.

Whether it’s meant as lighthearted self-deprecation or it stems from bitter self-loathing, internal body shaming can become so habitual that it turns into an automatic behavior, says Damon Bayles, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in New York City and former personal trainer.

The good news? It is possible to “flip the script” in your head. When those body-shaming thoughts pop up, reframe them and separate the thought from actual judgement.

Effects of Body shaming :

1. Body shaming affects mental health.

“Making comments about someone’s physical appearance without knowing how they will react can lead to depression, anxiety, shame, self-doubt, loathing, and other negative feelings,” Kingsford says.

Research suggests body dissatisfaction may be linked to emotional eating, low self-esteem, and depression. Body shaming may also be linked to binge eating.

2. It may affect your overall health, too.

Researchers are also starting to note a link between the effects of body shaming and physical health. A 2017 study suggests that people who internalize fat-shaming messages — such as disapproving glances or unsolicited weight advice — may have a higher risk of certain health issues.

3. Body shaming may contribute to weight gain.

Some people claim “fat shaming” can be an incentive to lose weight, but there’s no reliable evidence to back that up. In fact, research suggests body shaming can have the opposite effect — a 2013 study found that participants who experienced weight discrimination had an increased risk of becoming or remaining obese.

“Imagine you’re working really hard at a diet and exercise program, but your body just isn’t changing shape fast enough — how frustrating and hopeless that might feel,” Kingsford says. Add in the pressure you feel after hearing negative feedback from body shamers, and you may be tempted to just give up altogether, she adds.

4. Body shaming puts the focus on appearance, not health.

“We’ve become a society obsessed with how we look, not how we feel,” Kingsford says. Following so-called “thinspiration” or “thinspo” accounts on social media — where the focus is solely on size — can contribute to helping negative thoughts thrive.

It can take time for your brain to unlearn those negative thoughts, Bayles says. Spend less time scrutinizing body images in the digital sphere, and cultivate new and healthier ways of thinking instead, which can lead to a more positive outlook.

Another way to shed the negative narrative is to ask yourself: What’s the meanest thing I say to myself? Then ask whether it’s true. “Once you start looking at thoughts critically and attacking their veracity, you can tap into reality,” Bayles says.

5. Body shaming takes you out of the present.

“Body shaming keeps people in a relationship with an idea rather than a reality,” Bayles says. Hanging onto old, negative ideas (“I’m so fat!”) can make it more difficult to create a plan of attack to help you achieve your goals or to see the progress you’re making.

“You can think about the past and scare yourself, or think about the future and scare yourself — but if you deal with the right now, you’ll discover valuable information that can help you get where you want to go,” says Bayles.

It requires practice and a certain level of vigilance to stay in the here and now, but once you’re there, you can work on being more compassionate and gentle with yourself, Bayles says.

6. Body shaming doesn’t give you room to fail.

With any long-term health goal, setbacks are the rule, not the exception, Bayles says. But if you put too much stock in what others think — or you let negative self-talk take over — you might be tempted to give up as soon as you hit a stumbling block.

“Give yourself some wiggle room so you’re not setting yourself up to abort your mission at the first sign of weakness,” Bayles says. One pizza pig-out won’t make you feel like a huge failure if you have a realistic mindset from the get-go. Setbacks are part of the process, but body shaming doesn’t have to be — change the conversation and keep moving forward.