Last Updated on October 14, 2024 | Published: October 14, 2024 published by Jenny Tomei
What is fat shaming?
Fat shaming could be described as weight discrimination and is the act of criticising or humiliating someone based on their physical appearance being above average size, or not meeting society’s ideas and expectations of what would be viewed as a “normal” or “beautiful” body. Fat shaming involves criticising and harassing someone who is overweight about their weight or eating habits to attempt to make them feel embarrassed or ashamed of their appearance.
How can this be presented?
Fat shaming can be presented as bullying, teasing, criticising, or shaming another person (both online or in person) by making negative judgments about someone’s character based on the appearance of their bodies. Unfortunately, Fat shaming is one of the most common forms of bullying found within schools, with the promotion of having the “wrong” or “attractive” body image being projected onto many young people from their peers around them.
Similarly, the interminable promotion of the ideal of thinness within the media and the growing rates of obesity have combined together to make weight loss a common theme when it comes to fat shaming.
What are the effects of fat shaming in schools?
Fat shaming can cause many harmful effects for young people within schools including, anxiety, depression, the possible development of an eating disorder, low self esteem, a lack of self confidence and a negative body image.
Fat shaming may also cause a person to experience high levels of stress and anxiety, and as a direct response they may binge eat or overeat as a coping mechanism to relieve these intense feelings; potentially forcing the person into a damaging and negative cycle. There is also the chance of a person being subjected to fat shaming isolating themselves from multiple aspects of their lives and becoming withdrawn.
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How can schools combat this?
Fat shaming within schools has extensive consequences for the individual experiencing this discrimination and can therefore negatively impact both their physical and emotional health. It is essential for schools to promote a supportive and inclusive environment that values all body types, and encourages an atmosphere of kindness and compassion for all students and members of staff.
When confronting fat shaming within the school environment, it is important to be aware that there are two separate issues to be dealt with:
- How the young person feels about themselves
- The issue of the fat shaming.
If a child is being fat shamed, stopping it is their most urgent need at that time, whether or not they feel insecure or appear to be affected by it. It may be uncomfortable to address how they are feeling about this bullying however it is a crucial strategy to resolve the situation.
How can someone overcome fat shaming?
- It is vital that people experiencing fat shaming feel confident and assured in themselves.
- Engaging in focusing on health rather than appearance, self care practices and changing the language they use in their daily lives to avoid negative and harmful self talk, are all brilliant examples of ways to develop and maintain a positive mindset.
- It is important for a person to advocate for themselves and their opinions, if someone believes that something is wrong, it should be said.
Those who fat shame should be made aware of their mistakes and allowed to reflect and improve on their actions for the future. Education is key to eliminating fat shaming.
How can we ensure that young people are aware of the harm of fat shaming?
Some crucial ways that we can confront fat shaming for young people and make them aware of it is by:
- Highlighting to them the damage that shaming people based on their body has on someone, and that it is never appropriate or acceptable.
- Being conscious that if we allow those around us to mock people with different body types, it reinforces the negative attitudes towards young people that we are trying to discard and therefore potentially encouraging them to.
- Eliminating the idea of associating thinness with success, happiness, or self-control and recognising that these ideas maintain harmful biases that need to be discarded and can be damaging to the young people who are being affected by fat shaming in their school environment.
- Monitoring the social media usage and the viewing of any person being humiliated or tormented of any kind online but still allowing young people to view and access a range of different people, cultures and lifestyles within these platforms is extremely consequential in teaching and aiding young people in understanding and empathising with others and reinforcing that they are no superior to anyone else based on their own appearances or way of life.
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How does it feel like to experience fat shaming?
Having personally been subjected to fat shaming within the school environment, I am unfortunately very aware of the impact that fat shaming in schools can have on an individual’s mental health. From name calling to people making indirect comments about my body or what I eat, I have experienced a wide range of the different forms of fat shaming and have realised over time that in my specific circumstance, fat shaming does often occur in a moment of tension where the other person replies quickly with a comment about my size or weight in order to spite me and attempt to force me into a state of insecurity.
I strongly believe in the fact that a person should not comment on someone else’s appearance if they cannot resolve it within 5 minutes, like if a person has something stuck in between their teeth or something in their hair.
What do I think is important to remember?
Unfortunately, fat shaming happens much more frequently than people realise, with some people even being unable to identify that they are fat shaming and the severity of their actions. A singular flippant comment that a person may not even consider to be hurtful can resonate deeply with the victim and cause a potential downwards spiral of negativity that can have a lasting effect. Although someone may not take notice of a comment being made towards them about what they have decided to eat or how an item of clothing appears to fit on their bodies, these remarks can have devastating consequences for someone else. Remember to be mindful, compassionate and caring. You never know what someone is going through or how their week has gone so be kind.
It’s also important to remember that you have no control over what someone thinks of you, however you do have control over your mindset and how you decide to manage your response to these opinions. Setting boundaries and reflecting on your own feelings surrounding other people’s opinions aids in maintaining a positive relationship with yourself and your appearance.
Where can you find out more?
- How Kids Can Stop Fat Shaming in Its Tracks (Psychology Today)
- 9 Tips for Coping When Someone’s Words Insult Your Body (EVERYDAY HEALTH)
- Bullying and Body Shaming at Schools, Its Effects and Prevention (oladoc)
By Amelia Whent
