body-shame
Ridicule someone's form
Body-shame functions as both noun and verb.
The noun is the distress or embarrassment someone feels about their physical appearance—weight, shape, scars, or any feature perceived as falling short of ideals: Years of body-shame kept her from swimming in public.
The verb means to mock or criticize someone's body: Tabloids routinely body-shame celebrities for weight gain.
The practice targets women disproportionately, though men increasingly report it too.
Scornful imitation or fake
- ridiculeContemptuous mocking treatment
- tauntInsulting provocation
- humiliateCause painful shame
- belittleTo make something seem unimportant
bully · harass · criticize · deride · insult · stigmatize · ostracize · comment
Loss of dignity
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
- self-consciousnessUncomfortable awareness of oneself
- inadequacyState of being insufficient
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
anxiety · distress · insecurity · discomfort · hurt · trauma · internalization · self-doubt
Bias against larger bodies
- lookismDiscrimination by appearance
- sizeismDiscrimination by physique
- ableismBias against disabled individuals
- colorismBias based on complexion
media · advertising · photoshop · filters · thinspiration · comparison · objectification · conformity
Approval of oneself
- self-lovePrioritizing your own worth
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- healingRestoration of health
- affirmationPositive statement of truth
confidence · self-compassion · resilience · therapy · support · advocacy · reclamation · boundaries
Measure of heaviness
- sizePhysical extent or dimensions
- skinBody's outer layer
- scarsHealed wound tissue
- acneInflamed skin condition
cellulite · disability · aging · height · shape · features · complexion · proportions
mock
Scornful imitation or fake
belittle · bully · harass · criticize · deride · insult · stigmatize · ostracize · comment · judge
humiliation
Loss of dignity
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
- self-consciousnessUncomfortable awareness of oneself
- inadequacyState of being insufficient
vulnerability · anxiety · distress · insecurity · discomfort · hurt · trauma · internalization · self-doubt · worthlessness
fatphobia
Bias against larger bodies
- lookismDiscrimination by appearance
- sizeismDiscrimination by physique
- ableismBias against disabled individuals
colorism · media · advertising · photoshop · filters · thinspiration · comparison · objectification · conformity · idealization
self-acceptance
Approval of oneself
- self-lovePrioritizing your own worth
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- healingRestoration of health
affirmation · confidence · self-compassion · resilience · therapy · support · advocacy · reclamation · boundaries · unlearning
weight
Measure of heaviness
acne · cellulite · disability · aging · height · shape · features · complexion · proportions · musculature
body-shameself-love
Prioritizing your own worth
self-acceptance · fat acceptance · self-compassion · compliment · flattery
body, shame, bodies, bodied, bodily, shames, shamed, shaming, shameful