The Hidden Impact of Body Shaming + Self-Objectification

7 MIN READ

November 3, 2025

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You have likely experienced it or seen it happen, a comment about someone’s weight, shape, or appearance that leaves a lasting sting. That’s body shaming: the act of criticizing or judging a person based on their body.

For someone struggling with body image issues or an eating disorder, body shaming can reinforce deep feelings of inadequacy and fuel harmful behaviors around food and self-worth. Understanding why people body shame can help you recognize that these messages aren’t truths about your body. They’re reflections of cultural, emotional, and psychological factors that can — and should — be challenged.

This blog explores why people body shame, how those experiences affect your relationship with your body, and the tools and treatment approaches that can help you find peace and acceptance.

What Is Body Shaming?

Body shaming occurs when someone criticizes or mocks a body for how it looks — too large, too thin, too muscular, or simply different from the cultural ideal. These judgments can come from others or from within as the voice of internalized shame.

At Selah House, a faith-based eating disorder treatment center in Indiana, our compassionate team of expert-level clinicians helps clients explore how deeply this shame runs. It’s not just about appearance — it’s about control, fear, and social conditioning. The act of body shaming often stems from internalized cultural pressures or a person’s own body dissatisfaction rather than the objective truth.

Over time, these messages can distort self-image and reinforce the false belief that worth is tied to appearance. Recognizing what body shaming is — and where it originates — is the first step toward breaking its influence and initiating the healing process.

Why People Body Shame: Understanding the Psychology Behind It

1. Unrealistic Societal Standards

Western culture continues to promote a narrow “thin ideal” — a body standard that equates slenderness with beauty, discipline, and even personal worth. This message is reinforced through advertising, entertainment, and social media, where appearance is often portrayed as a measure of success or self-control.

Over time, these ideals become deeply internalized, shaping how people view themselves (and others) while fostering unrealistic expectations about what “healthy” looks like.

Research supports this connection: a systematic review in the Journal of Eating Disorders found that internalizing thin ideals is strongly associated with body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors.¹ As a result, body shaming becomes not just a social behavior but a learned cultural reflex — one that professional treatment can help individuals identify, challenge, and ultimately unlearn.

2. Weight Bias + Moral Judgment

Weight bias — the belief that body size reflects character, discipline, or health — remains one of the most common and socially accepted forms of stigma. Often disguised as “concern” or “tough love,” it allows judgment to masquerade as care while reinforcing the false idea that appearance reflects worth or effort.

This bias doesn’t just exist in society. It often becomes internalized, shaping how people see themselves. When that happens, guilt, anxiety, and dissatisfaction can take root. Research shows that internalized weight bias is closely linked to increased shame, depressive symptoms, and disordered eating patterns.²

Recognizing weight bias as a product of cultural conditioning, rather than personal failure, is the first step toward change. By challenging these assumptions and focusing on holistic well-being, individuals and communities can begin to dismantle the shame that sustains harmful body ideals.

3. Social Comparison + Media Exposure

Social media amplifies the human tendency to compare. Every scroll brings a stream of idealized and filtered images that rarely reflect real life. As this cycle continues, these portrayals shape ideas of what bodies “should” look like, fueling self-criticism and dissatisfaction. Exposure to such content can heighten self-objectification — seeing oneself through the lens of appearance rather than lived experience — which increases shame and anxiety.³

This constant comparison affects one’s mood, self-worth, and everyday behaviors related to food, movement, and connection. Understanding these dynamics fosters a more mindful relationship with media — one rooted in self-awareness, healthy boundaries, and the recognition that no filtered image defines true beauty or worth.

4. Emotional Regulation + Projection

Body shaming often reveals more about the person doing the shaming than it does about the one being judged. In many cases, it’s a form of projection — redirecting their own insecurities, frustrations, or feelings of inadequacy onto others. Criticizing another person’s body can offer a fleeting sense of control or confidence, masking more profound feelings of inadequacy.

This dynamic can appear anywhere — within families, friendships, or social circles — and is sometimes disguised as humor or “helpful” advice. The impact is the same: instead of nurturing understanding, these comments deepen shame and disconnection. Recognizing projection for what it is allows for compassion on both sides and opens the door to more honest, supportive conversations about body acceptance.

The Emotional + Physical Toll of Body Shaming

The effects of body shaming extend far beyond appearance. For those experiencing disordered eating or an eating disorder, repeated exposure to criticism or comparison can intensify emotional distress, reinforce harmful coping behaviors, and make recovery more challenging. These experiences often become intertwined with self-image and mental health in powerful ways:

- Increased body dissatisfaction – A 2023 cohort study found that body dissatisfaction is significantly associated with both restrictive eating and binge behaviors.⁴

- Intensified shame + self-criticism – Ongoing exposure to negative body messages can distort self-perception and solidify the belief that appearance determines worth.

- Emotional isolation – Shame frequently leads to withdrawal, secrecy, or the urge to “fix” perceived flaws through dieting, over-exercise, or control.

- Higher risk of depression and anxiety – Meta-analytic research shows that body shame predicts mood and anxiety disorders, even when controlling for body mass index.⁵

Left unaddressed, these patterns can erode self-esteem and hinder recovery, making professional treatment a vital step toward healing.

How Eating Disorder Treatment Helps Heal Body Shame

Healing from body shame takes more than awareness. It requires structured, compassionate care that integrates emotional, psychological, and spiritual healing.

At Selah House, our comprehensive continuum of care — from inpatient to intensive outpatient programs — allows clinicians to address both the behavioral and emotional roots of body shame using evidence-based and faith-informed approaches:

- Therapies such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) help reframe self-critical thoughts and reduce shame-driven behaviors.

- Faith-integrated support, when aligned with personal beliefs, offers hope and meaning beyond appearance, grounding recovery in purpose and unconditional worth.

- Group and family therapy foster understanding, connection, and accountability within a supportive community.

- Experiential and holistic therapies — such as art therapy, equine experiences, yoga, and body-image work — help clients reconnect their minds and bodies, nurture self-compassion, and replace control with acceptance.

Through this integrative process, individuals begin to understand that their body is not a problem to fix but a vessel worthy of care, respect, and gratitude.

Faith-Based Recovery at Selah House

If you or someone you love is struggling with body shame or disordered eating, compassionate, professional eating disorder treatment can help restore physical, emotional, and spiritual balance.

At Selah House, healing is rooted in both clinical excellence and Christ-centered care. Our multidisciplinary team integrates evidence-based therapies with spiritual guidance, helping clients address the emotional, behavioral, and spiritual wounds that sustain body shame.

Whether you’re entering treatment for the first time or continuing your recovery journey, Selah House offers a safe, restorative environment where you can pause, reflect, and heal — body, mind, and spirit.

Take the first step toward healing. Reach out to us today to learn how our compassionate, faith-based programs can help you overcome body shame and build lasting recovery through grace, connection, and professional support.