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, shamning for thinness, height-shaming, shaming of hairiness (or lack thereof), of hair-color, body-shape, one's muscularity (or lack thereof), and in its broadest sense may even include shaming of tattoos and piercings or diseases that leave a physical mark such as psoriasis.[1]

In a study of children's film and books regarding messages about the importance of appearance, media targeted for children were heavily saturated with messages emphasizing attractiveness as an important part of relationships and interpersonal interaction.[2] Among the movies used in the study, two Disney movies contained the highest number of messages about personal beauty. This study also found 64% of the videos studied portrayed obese characters as unattractive, evil, cruel, and unfriendly, and more than half of the portrayals involved the consideration or consumption of food.[3]

Some forms of body shaming have ancient origins in popular superstition, such as prejudice against red (or ginger) hair.[4] Forms of discrimination may also differ significantly depending on age group. For example, among preadolescents, tall tweens are sometimes depicted as awkward, and sometimes face derogatory pejorative terms such as "lanky". However, upon adulthood, such unflattering attitudes typically undergo a reversal as height is typically valued among adults.[1]

Sometimes body shaming can extend to a perception that one does not sufficiently display masculinity or femininity. For example, men with wide hips or prominent breasts or lack of facial hair are sometimes shamed for appearing feminine[5]. Similarly, women have been body-shamed for their lack of femininity for appearing to have a man-bulge,[6] or for having broad shoulders, traits that are typically associated with men.[5]

Extensive levels of body-shaming can have negative emotional effects, including a reduction in self-esteem and other issues such as eating disorders, anxiety, body dysmorphia and depression.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Chen, Hong, and Todd Jackson. "Are cognitive biases associated with body image concerns similar between cultures?." Body Image 2.2 (2005): 177-186.
  2. ^ Herbozo, S.; Tantleff-Dunn, S.; Gokee-Larose, J.; Thompson, J.K. (2004). "Beauty and thinness messages in children's media: A content analysis". Eating Disorders. 12 (1): 21–34. doi:10.1080/10640260490267742. PMID 16864302.
  3. ^ Greenberg, B.; Eastin, M.; Hofschire, L.; Lachlan, K.; Brownell, K. (2003). "Portrayals of Overweight and Obese Individuals on Commercial Television". American Journal of Public Health. 93 (8): 1342–1348. doi:10.2105/AJPH.93.8.1342. PMC 1447967. PMID 12893625.
  4. ^ Dettmar, Esther Katherine. Revising identification: fairy tales that transform tradition from within. Diss. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Namaste, Ki. "Genderbashing: Sexuality, gender, and the regulation of public space." Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 14.2 (1996): 221-240.
  6. ^ https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/that-your-d-bella-thorne-body-shamed-posing-see-through-bra-top-boxer-1633094
  7. ^ Matheson, Mikayla. "Women’s Body Image in the Media: An Analytical Study of Recent Body Image Movements across Media Platforms." (2017).
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