body-shaming

noun

body-sham·​ing ˈbä-dē-ˌshā-miŋ 

variants or body shaming

: the act or practice of subjecting someone to criticism or mockery for supposed bodily faults or imperfections

Far from being isolated incidents, these jokes … only highlight the fact that body-shaming is very much a problem among men as well as women, with public figures deemed "fair game" when it comes to criticisms of their appearance.

—Philip Ellis

body-shaming adjective

body-shaming comments

body-shaming bullies

Examples of body-shaming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 27-year-old’s Instagram has now been flooded with criticism, however, after Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet produced a report on widespread bullying and body-shaming at Djerf Avenue. —Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2024

Knightly's example demonstrates the pendulum swing of body-shaming. —Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024

When body image woes come wrapped in a bow Giving a fitness gift this holiday season can come across as body-shaming, a not-so-subtle message that a person’s body isn’t good enough, eating disorder experts say. —Andrew Torgan, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024

Keira Knightley is getting real about body-shaming. —Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 25 Nov. 2024

Christina Aguilera thinks body-shaming is a dirrty pair of words. —EW.com, 15 Aug. 2024

Last month, Ava called out some of her haters for a different reason: body-shaming. —Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024

Lizzo seemed to be responding to both the allegations and the body-shaming in her post on Friday. —Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024

People were so mean, even just in terms of body-shaming. —Keaton Bell, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above