The Hidden Impact of Body Shaming and Self-Objectification

Over the past decades, researchers have demonstrated the negative effects of body shaming and self–objectification on our mental health. People who experience body shaming, for example through bullying, and people who self-objectify are statistically more likely to experience depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and other mental illnesses (Onwuka and colleagues, 2024; Tiggeman and Slater, 2019; Grabe and colleagues, 2007). Body shaming and self-objectification are well-known to occur through the media. We see someone we perceive as smarter, prettier, or better than us, and the media likely strengthens this idea by glorifying the person’s appearance and accomplishments. We start feeling that we are not good enough, that our bodies are ugly, deformed, or wrong. How much we expose ourselves to media content correlates with our propensity to self-objectify in both adolescents and adults (Tiggeman and Slater, 2019; Moradi and Huang, 2008).

What is less appreciated, and harder to accept, is that body shaming and self-objectification happen in our everyday life. Friends at school may point out parts of our bodies as different or “ugly,” or healthcare providers may put into question whether your body is “normal.” I recently interviewed dietitian Julie Cole about her experiences with body shame and the long-lasting consequences it has had on her mental health, and I believe that her story needs to be told.

The role of the healthcare system, clothing industry, and our social networks

"We can fix your nose while we are at it."

Source: Raphael Brasileiro/Pexels

In middle school, Julie was bitten in the face by a dog, landing her in a surgery room. During this traumatic medical ordeal, the doctor presented Julie with an additional proposition: "We can fix your nose while we are at it."

This was neither the first nor the last encounter Julie would have with society’s disapproval of her body.

It’s difficult to trace Julie’s first experience with body shaming, but it’s reasonable to believe it was in a clothing shop. In this case, the shaming came from people from afar: clothing designers. Julie’s body did not conform to mainstream standards, which meant that professional tailoring became a standard part of her shopping plans. According to a 2022 poll, 67 percent of people say they struggle with finding clothing items that fit their size.

Despite growing up with a superbly supportive mother who embraced Julie just the way she was, adolescence was a tough time. Peers and family members started commenting on her body: The size and shape of her butt, ribs, and breasts were somehow seen as public topics for anyone to have an opinion on. Unsolicited body comments are not just unwelcome, they are harmful. For Julie, these experiences from the healthcare system, clothing industry, and her social network caused her to doubt her body’s value, leading her down the path of self-objectification: She started perceiving her body as an object that needed to conform to society’s ideals.

Undoing the consequences of self-objectification, only to experience further body-shaming

Yet, as she embarked on this journey, her surgeon pointed to her ribs, bluntly stating, "I cannot fix that."

Source: RF studio/Pexels

At 21, Julie underwent breast implant surgery. She wanted to look like what society expected. Yet, as she embarked on this journey, her surgeon pointed to her ribs, bluntly stating, "I cannot fix that." No decision, even when it’s conforming with societal standards, is free from body shaming. Between 58 and 73 percent of people around the world report being belittled by their doctors because of their size (Puhl and colleagues, 2021). It is less established how often people receive bullying comments about non-weight-related body parts.

Sixteen years later, Julie had her breast implants removed, a decision that was littered with unsolicited comments and opinions from doctors, nurses, colleagues, and partners. The breast implant surgery had neither helped Julie establish a healthy body image nor obliterated society’s objectification of her body. As a dietitian who promotes health at every size, Julie felt inauthentic carrying breast implants. Instead of highlighting her faults, the people around her found a new, shared interest in discussing her sexualized features, publicly welcoming her with greetings like, “Come rub those titties on me.”

But when she went to her doctor to have the implants removed, he attempted to dissuade her, saying that she would be left “deformed.” Julie felt completely trapped and at a loss. In an attempt to comply with society’s standards, she inadvertently brought herself closer to society’s notion of deformity.

A matter of living

It’s not hating my body as much as frustration with society.

Source: Mike Chai/Pexels

Julie’s decision to remove her implants was not just a matter of her mental health. It was a matter of her physical well-being. Four years after the breast implant surgery, one of the capsules ruptured, leading to chronic and intense pain, and requiring a total revamp of the surgery. A few years later, she constantly started feeling unwell, experiencing fatigue, memory loss, rashes, and joint pain. Julie was experiencing breast implant illness, a complication that affects up to 5 percent of everyone who receives breast implant surgery (Lieffering and colleagues, 2022). To date, the most effective treatment is breast implant removal, or “explant surgery.”

Shame Essential Reads

Shame (in Moderation) Is Good

How I Began to Confront My Own Perfectionism and Shame

Julie defied her doctor’s recommendation and went ahead with the explant surgery. The journey to full recovery, mentally and physically, was tough. Julie now carries immense wisdom on how self-objectification and body shaming can harm both mind and body. She has learned that acceptance starts from within, acknowledging that it doesn't always have to be positive but should not be consistently negative.

As you walk away from this article, there is one sentence Julie said to me that I want you to remember: It’s not hating my body as much as frustration with society.