Fat shaming is the perceived or actual stigmatizing of someone for being overweight. It can be an intentionally unkind comment, like pairing fat with ugly and referencing an individual (e.g., “You are fat and ugly”), or it can be just mentioning a person’s body size or making disparaging remarks about another person’s body or one’s own body (e.g., “It looks like you have gained weight” or “I look so fat; I need to lose weight”). Even if the comment is not directed at a particular individual, the “policing” of anyone’s body communicates that all individuals must fear becoming fat. Fat shaming communicates the fear of fat and often leads to feelings of lower self-esteem.

[Page 541]Fat shaming may lead to body image disorders (i.e., dissatisfaction with ...