The Harmful Effects of Fat Shaming in Navigating Health

We live in an era of blossoming body positivity; standards of beauty and health are being challenged, loudly. Workouts on Tik Tok are being led by more people in bigger bodies, models in catalogues are representing a wider range of body types and weights, and the celebration and love of bodies at any weight is making its way across social media platforms. Considering the unhealthy media messaging and narrow standards of beauty that we’ve all grown up with, this is a beautiful thing. However, it has created an interesting internal discord for some of my clients, who want to be body positive, but also want to journey towards their personal optimal weight; they feel as if the two are opposed, as if they may be betraying the body positive cause in the desire to lose weight.

This is a complex conundrum, and one that’s crucial to break down, since neither the health risks of fat shaming in any form, nor the health risks inherent in obesity, should be ignored.

Let’s first look at the very harmful effects of fat shaming, fat phobia, and body negativity. In addition to individual horror stories of being at the effect of any type of fat shaming (or body shaming in general), the research is also crystal clear: fat shaming and fat phobia leads to binge eating, depression, high stress and increased cortisol levels, higher risk for eating disorders, reduced self-esteem, increased likelihood of weight gain, increased risk of metabolic syndrome, and increased risk of death. Shame is not a motivator for weight loss, and in fact most often results in the exact opposite. One study found that weight discrimination was linked to a 6.67-times greater risk of becoming obese. Pediatric Obesity published a study in 2019 which found that teasing kids about their weight is linked to increased weight gain well into adulthood, and the more teasing that kids and teens experience, the more weight they may gain. The science shows clearly that the effect of fat shaming only makes people feel terrible and eat more to cope with the stress. For anyone familiar with the work of shame researcher Brene Brown, this should come as no surprise. In a blog post, she writes, “I don’t believe shame is helpful or productive. In fact, I think shame is much more likely to be the source of destructive, hurtful behavior than the solution or cure.” Shame is simply not a healthy or effective motivator for long-term positive change.

Even words with good intent, that come from love and concern from family members, parents, or spouses, can still feel shaming and destructive to the one receiving it; comments about someone’s weight in any form may do more harm than good. Additionally, there’s some misinformation about what actually constitutes ‘health.’ Hint- it’s not always weight or BMI that’s the best indicator.

BMI (Body Mass Index) has long been the standard marker for health, but more recently has been largely discredited as the main indicator. Here are some other major markers to consider:

- - Gut health: 80% of our immune system lies in our gut, so it’s possible to be skinny and entirely unhealthy. In fact a large number of my clients come to me with gut distress that’s drastically impacting their health and quality of life, and yet their weight is in the ‘normal’ range.
  - The issue of what you’re putting in your body makes a huge difference. If your calories and weight are within ‘normal’ range but the makeup of those calories consist mostly of sugar, artificial and processed foods and chemicals, then on a cellular level, your body is likely not thriving. Someone with a higher BMI who’s eating real, whole, unprocessed food, is likely to be experiencing better health and less inflammation on a cellular level.
  - Another major health factor is stress. Regardless of your weight and what you’re eating, chronic and high stress has one of the most detrimental impacts on your health out of all other factors.

However, it is true that carrying extra weight can be a burden on your joints, your organs, and your heart. Eating more food than your body needs is extra wear and tear on your system and a burden on your body in the long run. And obesity is certainly an indicator for increased risk in metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors, including high cholesterol and blood pressure, which are associated with heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other major health issues). With reported obesity rates from 2017-2018 at 42.4% of adults in America (according to a 2020 report from the CDC), and 18.5% of children, we are indeed facing a health crisis. But remember, fat shaming also results in increased risk for metabolic syndrome, largely due to the stress it causes the recipient and the negative behaviors often used for coping.

So how can you both remain body positive and attend to your health at the same time?

Body positivity and optimal health are not mutually exclusive. In fact, approaching your health from a place of body love is the best place from which to come. In my 21-day Body Love class, we discuss all of the amazing things our bodies do every day to keep us alive and able to fulfill our dreams; our heart keeps beating, our lungs keep breathing, our digestive system breaks down a lot of less than ideal food, and still gets us up in the morning so we can live the lives we want to live. But a relationship is a two way street, and loving our body back means treating it with respect and listening to and honoring its signals and needs.

One can let go of societal pressures, judgments, and norms for beauty, embrace all different body types and sizes, and still commit to listening to your body’s signals. Is your body in pain? Are you having energy crashes? Headaches? Joint issues? Digestive issues? Skin breakouts? This is your body talking to you, sending you messages that something is out of balance. And attending to these messages is the ultimate display of body love.

Here are some tips to champion body positivity, love your body exactly where it’s at, and also take care of your health, all at the same time.

1. 1. It’s crucial to first come to a place of acceptance of where you’re at, with a full appreciation for all that you and your body have gone through, and the factors that might have contributed to your health thus far: physically, emotionally (stress, trauma, grief, etc.) and situational (socio-economic disadvantage, lack of access to health care or healthy affordable food, or genetics). This compassion and understanding, no matter where you’re at in your health journey, will help you love and partner with your body.
  2. When it comes to health, aim for balance rather than a weight goal. You can feel in-balance at different weights. But asking yourself if your joints feel burdened when you walk (for instance), will give you the information you need to let you know if you’re out of balance, and if your body is asking for a change.
  3. Get rid of the scale. Do away with the punishment angle to weight loss. Let go of any tie you have to the number on the scale as your measurement of success, especially since the scale can contribute to feelings of shame, and it puts the focus on the wrong thing: pounds rather than health. Instead, pay attention to the actual choices you’re making (food, lifestyle, movement) and how they make your body feel.
  4. Don’t prolong happiness or self-love, thinking I’ll be happy when…, I’ll do that when…, I’ll buy clothes that I feel good in when…, or I’ll love my body when… It’s important to practice self-care, self-love and happiness at any weight and any stage of health.
  5. Surround yourself with body positive language, images, and community; places where social support for being free and confident and worthy in any body is strong. If you’re in a larger body, perhaps attend workouts led by those with bigger bodies, which can feel uplifting and positive. Here are just a few accounts and resources that might be helpful to start you off: Lizzo, who naturally celebrates her body in her music and her life, and who recently said in an interview on the Daily Show, that her mere existence is a form of activism because of the world we live in. Then there’s Lena Dunham, who has weathered extreme and violent harassment and cyber bullying about her body ever since she dared to show herself fully and proudly to the world on tv in the series Girls, and remains a strong voice for loving your body today. There’s Jessamyn Stanley, author of Every Body Yoga, Sonya Renee Taylor, author of The Body Is Not an Apology, and Jameela Jamil’s iweigh podcast, which focuses on radical inclusivity. I also highly recommend any books or workshops by best-selling author Geneen Roth, whose new book, This Messy Magnificent Life asks the question, What would the world look like if we got over body shame? Dive in, and get inspired!
  6. Create healthy boundaries around any body negativity sources. This means intentionally curating your social media feeds, as many pages can be toxic and full of weight shaming. Choose who you listen to and spend time with. This also may require conversations and boundaries with some of the people in your life.
  7. Make sure to fill your life with joy from other sources that don’t focus on the body. Obsession with body image keeps us in chains, drains our energy, and lowers our self esteem.
  8. If you are not overweight, please be aware of any tendency you might have to try and shame someone into losing weight, or to engage in body shaming of any sort, and know, however well intentioned, the damage that can come from your words.