Bodyshaming normal for 90 per cent women, finds study

New Delhi: A recent study revealed that 90 per cent of women recognized that body shaming is common behaviour. The study further revealed that 84 per cent participants reported that women tend to experience more body shaming as compared to men. The study was conducted by Fortis Healthcare among 1244 women (between the ages of 15 to 65) across 20 cities (including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mohali and others) to gain an insight into the attitudes and perceptions of women towards the concept of body image, as well as the impact that body shaming has on their psychological well-being and at times leading to stress.

The study found that 47.5 per cent women experienced body shaming at their school or work place and 32.5 per cent women reported that their friends often tend to make negative comments about the way they look, be it in terms of their body weight, body shape, skin tone, hair, etc.

“76 per cent women felt that the media portrayals of beauty contribute towards promoting the prevalence of body shaming. 90 per cent respondents believed that films and television shows often do tend to make fun of people who do not conform to the standard norms and expectations. 89 per cent women reported feeling uncomfortable about their own selves when they read comments about other people’s appearances on social media platforms,” found the study.