The impacts of body shaming can be harmful to an individual’s mental and physical health. Statistics show that approximately 44% of people have experienced body shaming from family members, whereas 30% of people have been body-shamed by strangers.
Body shaming is a cruel reality of our society and people experience different types of body shaming on a daily basis. In this blog post, you will explore the psychological and physical effects of body shaming on an individual’s health and on society and a brief overview of how social expectations differently influence men and women.
Learn more about What is Body Shaming? An Overview
Impacts of Body Shaming
Here the impacts of body shaming have been divided into three broader categories. These are;
A. Psychological and Emotional Impacts
B. Physical Impacts
C. Societal Impacts
Under these categories, you will learn about the 13 impacts of body shaming that individuals face, which are discussed below.
A. Impacts of Body Shaming on Mental Health
One of the harmful impacts of body shaming includes psychological and emotional disorders. Constant criticism and negative comments about your looks and appearance can expose you to mental issues, these include;
1. Low Self-Esteem
As an individual, you can lose your self-confidence if you are exposed to continuous body shaming. Constant body shaming can make you believe you are worthless in various aspects of your life. This can have a long-lasting negative impact on your personal relations and your professional performance.
2. Depression and Anxiety
The act of body shaming can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. People who are victims of this act may feel sad and abandoned. This can constantly make you feel worried about how you appear in your social circle. Constant thinking can lead to chronic stress and develop mental health problems for you.
3. Body Dysmorphic Disorder
People who face body shaming remarks can develop body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This is a mental health condition in which a person is continuously worried about their looks. Individuals focus on unnoticeable flaws in their appearance. This contributes to stress and distressing thoughts about their bodies.
4. Eating Disorder
Eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa, binge disorder, and anorexia nervosa are strongly linked with body shaming.
People who are body-shamed either lose their appetite due to stress or adopt excessive eating behavior in depression. The pressure to meet unrealistic beauty standards can also push them to change their eating habits to meet societal expectations.
5. Social Isolation
People who suffer from psychological and emotional distress due to body shaming avoid social gatherings. They adopt such behavior because they don’t want people to judge them. Social withdrawal and isolation aggravate loneliness and depression, creating a vicious circle of emotional distress.
B. Impact of Body Shaming on Physical Health
The impact of body shaming influences the physical well-being of a person in the following ways;
6. Stress and Health
Chronic stress is associated with several physical health problems. Such as the development of headaches, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular disease, and weakened immune function. These problems can deteriorate an individual’s lifestyle in several ways such as limiting professional growth and reducing social activities.
7. Disordered Eating Patterns
Individuals often try to seek social acceptance by meeting unrealistic beauty standards. To do so they adopt unhealthy eating patterns. For instance, they can restrict their diet to certain food items. This can contribute to nutritional deficiencies, gastrointestinal problems, and develop long-term health complications.
8. Weight Management
The struggle to get an ideal body image can lead to unhealthy weight management practices. Individuals can adopt extreme diet plans or be involved in excessive exercise to achieve a certain body type. This can negatively influence their weight which can develop serious problems in the long run.
9. Mood Swings and Physical Activities
A change in unhealthy diet plans and excessive physical activities can negatively influence an individual’s behavior. The person can experience mood swings and see exercise as a burden rather than relaxation and enjoyment.
C. Impact of Body Shaming on Society
Body shaming can negatively influence social interactions and cultural norms. The broader implications and systemic practices are discussed below;
10. Reinforcing Harmful Beauty Standards
Our media and advertisements have glamorized unrealistic beauty standards that promote body shaming in our societies. Such harmful ideologies put pressure on individuals to conform to certain body types that reinforce stereotypes related to beauty standards.
This has evolved into a culture of judgment, discrimination, and exclusion. Moreover, failure to do so leads to criticism and body shaming.
11. Normalizing Discrimination
One of the body shaming impacts is the normalization of discrimination based on looks and appearance. Such discrimination is practiced and observed in various spheres of life. For example, individuals who don’t conform to certain beauty standards may experience biases in hiring or getting a table at a restaurant.
12. Negative Influence on Youth
Youngsters who experience body shaming are prone to take societal pressure and adopt unhealthy practices to please others. Such children are highly susceptible to losing self-confidence which can affect their relationships, academic performance, and future life endeavors..
13. Cultural and Economic Implications
People who are body-shamed want to change their looks and to fit in their social circle. They try to follow the latest fashion, fitness, and beauty trends. This gives rise to economic activities in these fields. It also gives room to fashion brands to capitalize on individuals’ insecurity and promote unrealistic beauty standards. This whole scenario drives a circle of dissatisfied people, buying products to look good and fit in societal beauty standards.
Impact of Body Shaming on Women and Men
Even though women and men face body shaming but it impacts them differently. These effects are usually associated with cultural norms and societal expectations.
1. Ideal Body Standards
In many societies, the emphasis of female beauty is associated with young and slim bodies with specific body shapes. Women face criticism if they gain weight and look older than their age.
Whereas, men are encouraged to have a muscular body with body fat. Boys and men who have thin bodies are often body-shamed and criticized.
2. Societal Expectations
Our society expects women to meet beauty standards set by the media and fashion industries. Failure to achieve the standard related to weight and shape leads to body shaming.
Similarly, men face body shaming if they don’t have a muscular and athletic body depicting strength and power. A lack of muscles and fitness results in criticism.
3. Impact of Body Shaming
Men and women both may face low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. All genders may face body dysmorphia disorder with an effort to change their appearance.
Conclusion
As discussed above, the impacts of body shaming are multifaceted. It starts with an individual’s psychological and mental health followed by physical well-being with a broader impact on society. Understanding the diverse implications of body shaming is crucial to address the issue.
Positive and diverse representation of body images by media can foster self-acceptance and societal change. Moreover, embracing diversity and equality can mitigate the harmful effects of body shaming on individuals.
To combat this harmful act, individuals, communities, and institutions should support inclusivity and body positivity. Only then we can create a world where people with different looks feel respected, empowered, and self-worthy.
Have you experienced body shaming in your surroundings? Let us know in the comments below.
