The Causes And Effects Of Body Shaming

The human psyche is notoriously fragile; so fragile, in fact, that neuroscientists, psychologist and other experts toil to understanding the underlying workings of the human brain, to gain a better understanding of its intricacies. Such fragility often manifests itself when an individual is under an attack of some sort. Yet, not all attacks are physical. On the contrary, some of the deadliest are psychological. This paper is concerned with a discussion of the causes and effects of body shaming. Briefly defined, this type of shaming constitutes the practice of critiquing an individual by using harsh and often insulting terms, which in most cases pertains to that individual’s body size or weight. With stigmatization, mass media manipulation

The one cause that is at the origin of this type of shaming is stigmatization, whereby certain groups of people are perceived unfavourable by others and begin to internalize external opinions. Another documented driver of body shaming is the mass media, especially in the presence of the “thin ideal” and the promotion of weight loss products. Furthermore, social media exacerbates body shaming by playing the role of the facilitator, allowing groups of people to humiliate others without fully being cognizant about the repercussions of their actions. Due to body shaming, victims are likely to become physically ill, as they tend to decrease their responsiveness to certain physical functions or increase their food consumption. In addition, psychological complications are also common, as body shaming can lead to depression and anxiety, but also to chronic body dissatisfaction and preoccupation with appearances, even for men. Not to mention that eating disorders may also arise from body shaming, as victims become intent on watching their eating habits and restricting calorie intake to meet the expectations of society. Clearly, body shaming is not a joke, and must be dealt with on an international scale by addressing its roots. One possible way to do so would be to implement educational awareness campaigns, encouraging people to become more media literate and more empathetic toward