Words | Veronika Tait

On September 6, 2019, Bill Maher – American comedian, political commentator, and television host – gave a controversial segment(1) about the United States obesity epidemic wherein he stated, “Fat-shaming doesn’t need to end, it needs to make a comeback.” However, research suggests that shaming often makes the problem worse. As James Corden responded(2), “If making fun of fat people made them lose weight, there would be no fat kids in schools, and I would have a six-pack by now.”

Obesity is certainly an important health concern(3) in the United States with 18.5% of youth aged 2-19 being classified as obese. In recent decades, these rates have been rapidly increasing(4). Overweight or obese youth are at an increased risk for many negative health outcomes(5) including type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, joint problems, sleep apnea, and orthopaedic difficulties. (read more here 6)

Given the seriousness of our current obesity epidemic, it may come as no surprise that some feel fat-shaming is a practical and tough-love approach to weight loss. One of the most frequently cited types of teasing and bullying is weight-based.

According to an article written in Healthline(7) “Fat-shaming involves criticizing and harassing overweight people about their weight or eating habits to make them feel ashamed of themselves. The belief is that this may motivate people to eat less, exercise more, and lose weight.” But does the shame from peers increase healthy behaviours?

Researchers(8) tempted to find out by following 110 overweight/obese or at-risk children for up to 15 years. Participants completed a six-item scale wherein they reported how often each experience occurred such as, “People made fun of you because you were heavy,” or “People called you names like fatso”. Answers could range from 1 (never) to 5 (very often).

After adjusting for relevant variables, youth who scored higher in weight-based teasing had higher BMIs through the follow-up period. Those with considerable teasing experienced a 33% greater gain in BMI per year compared to participants with no instances of teasing. They also had a 91% greater gain in fat mass per year compared to participants with no weight-based teasing.

In her book(9), Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women, author Renee Engeln writes,

“Of all the research conducted on obesity, there is not one drop of evidence that fat shaming helps move people toward thinness….When we’re in emotional distress, we will usually take action to make ourselves feel better, even if that means trading a short-term mood boost for less appealing long-term consequences. Feeling better may come in the form of a pint of ice cream or a bag of chips that relieves your emotional distress temporarily, but triggers a spiral of shame. (p. 99-101)”

She continues by detailing the destructive nature of fat-shaming which research shows can lead the victims to exercise less, eat fewer fruits and vegetables, and binge eat more frequently.

Shame isn’t only harmful in the domain of obesity, but a host of other areas as well. Shame and vulnerability expert Brene Brown(10) states that, “Shame is highly, highly correlated with addiction, depression, violence, aggression, bullying, suicide, eating disorders.” She describes how shame leads us to feel unworthy of love and belonging, a message that unfortunately many overweight children hear too often.

While fat-shaming can prove detrimental to physical health, then what is the answer to the obesity epidemic? While the solution is certain to be multi-faceted, we may be able to gather clues from research on social connection and isolation. In her Ted Talk(11) entitled, “The Secret to Living Longer May be Your Social Life,” researcher Susan Pinker describes some surprising predictors for longevity. Factors such as quitting smoking and drinking, exercising, and getting the flu shot have positive health impacts. However, the two variables that best predict longevity are social integration and close relationships (read more here 12 and here 13). Loneliness and isolation increase the risk of early mortality by as much as 32%, a risk-factor greater than obesity.

Being socially integrated is more than just having a supportive spouse or family member.As Pinker says,

“Do you talk to the guy who every day makes you your coffee? Do you talk to the postman? Do you talk to the woman who walks by your house every day with her dog? Do you play bridge or poker, have a book club? Those interactions are one of the strongest predictors of how long you’ll live.”

Allowing a culture of bullying and shame leads to self-deprecating behaviours. Fostering connections, strengthening communities, and prioritizing relationships can be some of the most effective strategies for battling health problems. Rather than fat-shaming, obese youth needs tools to succeed with mentorship, belonging and acceptance.

References

1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm4TAdiEFn0

2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax1U04c4gaw

3 https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html

4 https://www.stateofobesity.org/obesity-rates-trends-overview/

5 https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/causes.html

6 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022347606008171

7 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fat-shaming-makes-things-worse

81https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ijpo.12538?referrer_access_token=hdh_N4HIW6_miSy_Hu1zE4ta6bR2k8jH0KrdpFOxC660z1cLWx2bgnlVNwTukCkOZo0VZKS2wnVFulmohDlMytFFaDeLw2o8SpJVODUeHpfDK8cYByndC2a1r90SBM6twhEV1nXhcZgWS6J2nhJE4w%3D%3D

9 http://beautysick.com/

10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psN1DORYYV0&t=111s

11https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_pinker_the_secret_to_living_longer_may_be_your_social_life?language=en

12 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691614568352

13 https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316