Fighting Fat Talk: 5 Tips to Improve the Way You Think and Talk About Your Body
You deserve to see your body in a positive light and to silence your inner critic.
You have probably heard someone talking about “feeling fat” or even comparing their bodies to others. Just like the common cold, fat talk can be contagious. It is possible to break the habit of fat talk. If negative thoughts about your body are affecting your well-being, reach out to a doctor or mental health professional for support.
Learn more about how talking negatively about any bodies (yours and others’) can impact your health here.
References
Arroyo, A., et al. (2012). Exploring the causes and consequences of engaging in fat talk. Journal of Applied Communication Research.
Barnes, M., et al. (2020). Associations between body dissatisfaction and self-reported anxiety and depression in otherwise healthy men: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS One.
Christensen, K. A., et al. (2020). A theoretical review of interpersonal emotion regulation in eating disorders: Enhancing knowledge by bridging interpersonal and affective dysfunction. Journal of Eating Disorders.
Goodman, L. (2018). Changing the culture around fat-talk. University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Grabe, S., et al. (2007). Body objectification and depression in adolescents: The role of gender, shame, and rumination. Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Jones, M. D., et al. (2014). A naturalistic study of fat talk and its behavioral and affective consequences. Body Image.
Karges, Crystal. (2017). Impact of fat-shaming and fat talk in social media. Eating Disorder Hope.
Kasardo, A. (2016). Fat talk as a microaggression. Association for Size Diversity and Health.
Lydecker, J. A., et al. (2018). Association of parents’ self, child, and other “fat talk” with child eating behaviors and weight. International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Martz, T. K. L., et al. (2007). Examining "fat talk" experimentally in a female dyad: How are women influenced by another woman's body presentation style? Body Image.
National Eating Disorders Association. (n.d.). 10 steps to positive body image.
Salk, R. H., et al. (2011). Fat talk among college women is both contagious and harmful. Sex Roles.
Salk, R. H., et al. (2011). ‘If you’re fat, then i'm humongous!’: Frequency, content, and impact of fat talk among college women. Psychology of Women Quarterly.
ScienceDaily. (2011). Frequency of fat talk associated with increased body dissatisfaction, regardless of waistline.
SturtzSreetharan, C. L., et al. (2019). Fat talk: A citizen sociolinguistic approach. Journal of Sociolinguistics.
For additional resources or to connect with mental health services in your area, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. For immediate assistance, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or text HOME to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
