Description
ABSTRACT
Background: Body shaming leads to much insecurity that is often overlooked. Its impact results in many ways, either in the form of some mental disorder, non-acceptance of oneself, low self-esteem, decreased life satisfaction, etc. The Media adds to it by portraying perceived perfectionism in terms of appearance which at times acts as a trigger to people already suffering or going through these.
Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the psychological effects of body shaming on young people, and to analyze the role and impact of media in the portrayal of body image issues.
Design/Methodology/Approach: A Semi-structured interview of 20 participants was carried forward (10 males & 10 females belonging). All Participants belonged to the age bracket of 20-30 years. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was conducted thereafter.
Findings: All the participants mentioned that body shaming has affected their well-being and self-esteem and it led them to body shame others as well. It was also found that media has been marketing body image issues in many ways which created both positive and negative impacts. The following themes were generated based on analysis: age-appropriate body, rituals to fit in, marketing by accepting, after effects, the vicious loop, confusion to/and acceptance.
Conclusion: The psychological impact of body shaming is often overlooked and that creates more damage. Similarly, the marketing of body image issues is so popular that often it is used in the form of humour. All of these experiences create a deep impact on people and lead them to the vicious loop of body shaming.
Keywords: self-projection, marketing by accepting, vicious loop, interpretative phenomenological analysis, well-being
