Body shaming is the action or inaction of subjecting someone to humiliation and criticism for their bodily features. There are so many types of body shaming, including but not limited to fat-shaming, shaming for thinness, height-shaming, shaming of hairiness (or lack thereof), of

hair color Human hair color is the pigmentation of human hair follicles and shafts due to two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, the more melanin present, the darker the hair. Its tone depends on the ratio of black or brown eume ...

body shape Human body shape is a complex phenomenon with sophisticated detail and function. The general shape or figure of a person is defined mainly by the molding of skeletal structures, as well as the distribution of muscles and adipose tissue, fat. Ske ...

, one's muscularity (or lack thereof), shaming of penis size or breast size, shaming of looks (facial features), shaming of

skin color Human skin color ranges from the darkest brown to the lightest hues. Differences in skin color among individuals is caused by variation in pigmentation, which is largely the result of genetics (inherited from one's biological parents), and in ...

, and in its broadest sense may even include shaming of tattoos and piercings, or diseases that leave a physical mark such as

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...

. Body shaming may take the form of bullying because of a person's

physical disabilities A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epilepsy ...

deformity A deformity, dysmorphism, or dysmorphic feature is a major abnormality of an organism that makes a part of the body appear or function differently than how it is supposed to. Causes Deformity can be caused by a variety of factors: *Arthritis a ...

. In a study of children's film and books regarding messages about the importance of appearance, media targeted toward children were heavily saturated with messages emphasizing attractiveness as an important part of relationships and interpersonal interaction. Among the movies used in the study, two

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

movies contained the highest number of messages about personal beauty. This study also found 64% of the videos studied portrayed obese characters as

unattractive Unattractiveness or ugliness is the degree to which a person's Human physical appearance, physical features are considered aesthetically unfavorable. Terminology Ugliness is a property of a person or thing that is unpleasant to look upon and re ...

, evil, cruel, and unfriendly, and more than half of the portrayals involved the consideration or consumption of food. Some forms of body shaming have ancient origins in popular

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...

, such as

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

against people with

red hair Red hair, also known as ginger hair, is a human hair color found in 2–6% of people of northern Europe, Northern or Northwestern European ancestry and lesser frequency in other populations. It is most common in individuals Zygosity#Homozy ...

and

stereotypes In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

of people with blonde hair. Forms of discrimination may also differ significantly depending on age group. For example, tall preadolescents are sometimes depicted as awkward and can face derogatory pejorative terms such as "lanky", despite height being a typically valued characteristic among adults.Chen, Hong, and Todd Jackson. "Are cognitive biases associated with body image concerns similar between cultures?." ''Body Image'' 2.2 (2005): 177-186. Sometimes body shaming can extend to a perception that one does not sufficiently display

masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there i ...

femininity Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and Gender roles, roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there is also s ...

. For example,

men A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...

with wide

hips In vertebrate anatomy, the hip, or coxaLatin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) (: ''coxae'') in medical terminology, refers to either an anatomical region or a joint ...

, prominent breasts, or lack of facial hair or height are sometimes shamed for appearing feminine.Namaste, Ki. "Genderbashing: Sexuality, gender, and the regulation of public space." Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 14.2 (1996): 221-240. Similarly, women can be body shamed for appearing to have a '' man-bulge'', or for having broad shoulders, physical traits that are typically associated with men. Extensive levels of body shaming can have negative emotional effects, including lowered self-esteem and the development of issues such as eating disorders, anxiety,

body image disturbance Body image disturbance (BID) is a common symptom in patients with eating disorders and is characterized by an altered Body image, perception of one's own body. The onset is mainly attributed to patients with anorexia nervosa who persistently t ...

body dysmorphic disorder Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), also known in some contexts as dysmorphophobia, is a mental disorder defined by an overwhelming preoccupation with a perceived flaw in one's physical appearance. In BDD's delusional variant, the flaw is imagined ...

and depression. These depressive effects can worsen especially when people feel their body can not meet social criteria.

References

{{reflist Body positivity Social stigma Human body Harassment and bullying Psychological abuse Shame