Image credits: seventyfourimages/Envato elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: lucigerma/Envato elements (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Consequence-Prize
It’s very difficult to understand what the lady was hoping to achieve. Fat shaming isn’t just rude; it can make a person feel ashamed, inferior, anxious, or guilty about their body. Some experts even argue that it can contribute to obesity by creating unhealthy relationships with food.
The sad part is this form of bullying isn’t exclusive to random encounters at the mall. Angela Alberga, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Applied Physiology at Concordia University, believes anti-fat bias is rampant in all parts of society, including medicine.
According to Alberga, studies show that exposure to weight bias triggers physiological and behavioral changes linked to poor metabolic health and increased weight gain. “You actually experience a form of stress,” she said. Cortisol spikes, self-control drops, and the risk of binge eating increases.
Image credits: AllGo – An App For Plus Size People/Pexels (not the actual photo)
In fact, the more people are exposed to weight bias and discrimination, the more likely they are to gain additional pounds and become obese, even if they are thin to begin with.
Alberga explained that fat shaming is also linked to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and exercise avoidance. Emerging research suggests that the severity of harm increases when people internalize weight bias and turn it on themselves.
More Americans than ever are dealing with the health consequences of obesity as rates of the disease in the United States (and other parts of the world) reach an all-time high.
Over half (52 percent) of Americans believe people with obesity are “fat shamed” all or most of the time and 34 percent say that they themselves or someone they know have experienced it firsthand. Among those with obesity, that number rises to 43 percent.
Even if you have good intentions, pointing fingers and playing the blame game doesn’t help anyone. It just makes matters worse.
English (US) ·