No more muffin tops or cankles: Minister calls for ban on 'fat talk' used to shame women over their bodies

Jo Swinson believes 'body shaming' language damages confidence

Has called for a ban on terms such as 'thunder thighs' from conversation

Comes amid campaigns by celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence

Scottish MP Jo Swinson believes the 'body shaming' language damages people's confidence

A minister has called for an end to so-called 'fat talk', including terms such as muffin tops, bingo wings and cankles.

Scottish MP Jo Swinson believes the 'body shaming' language damages people's confidence and wants women and children to ban the terms from everyday conversation.

The equalities minister said: ' It's depressingly commonplace to hear women - and even young girls and children - insulting their own bodies.



'Muffin tops, thunder thighs, cankles - fat talk and body shaming too easily become a habit and an expectation.'

Her comments - reported in the Sunday Times - come amid high profile campaigns by celebrities.



Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence last week called for the word fat to be 'illegal to use' on television, and American model Tyra Banks has launched a campaign with the Special K cereal brand to discourage women from using fat talk.

The 40-year-old supermodel and America's Top Model judge, who said she uses the term 'fiercely real' instead of 'plus size.



She told Huffington Post Style: 'I don't like the label "plus-size".

'I don't want to use the term "plus-size," because, to me, what the hell is that? It just doesn't have a positive connotation to it. I tend to not use it.'

Research complied by the government has revealed that, regardless of whether they start off fat or thin, women with poor body confidence are more likely to put on weight.



Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence last week called for the word fat to be 'illegal to use' on television, and model Tyra Banks has launched a campaign with Special K cereal to discourage women from using fat talk It also found that girls who lack body confidence are less likely to do well at school and work.

Future campaigns will now focus on encouraging women to become healthy, rather than solely on losing weight. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next JAN MOIR: Being vile to Winslet won't help fathers in... 'I don't like the term plus-size': Tyra Banks on how... Share this article Share A government source said: ' Fatshaming, trying to motivate weight loss through self-disgust, is unlikely to produce sustained benefit.'

Special K revealed that 93per cent of women 'fat talk', which the company says is 'weighing women down'

As women strive to get back on track this New Year, Special K chose to partner with Ms Banks for a campaign titled 'shhhhut down fat talk' to help shift the weight management conversation to a more positive one

Swinson has also supported the use of plus-size mannequins on the high street.



At the time she said: 'The images we see in the world of fashion are all pretty much the same - it's as if there's only one way of being beautiful. Yet nine in ten people say they would like to see a broader range of body shapes shown in advertising and the media