Young Women’s Perceptions and Experiences of Skinny and Fat Shaming

This research compares women’s perceptions of the hurtfulness and social acceptability of fat and skinny shaming and their experiences as perpetrators and victims of both types of body shaming. In total, 500 female students (M age = 20.0 years, SD = 4.7 years) read a vignette depicting an instance of skinny shaming and a vignette depicting an instance of fat shaming. Subsequently, they completed measures of their perceptions of the body shaming depicted in the vignettes, as well as their own experiences, their body satisfaction, attitudes toward skinny and fat women, and demographic characteristics. Participants viewed fat shaming as more hurtful and unacceptable than skinny shaming. These perceptions varied according to participants’ body satisfaction and attitudes toward skinny women. Participants also reported perpetrating and experiencing skinny shaming more frequently than fat shaming. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.