"I avoided going to all doctors for two years because I was so embarrassed about being overweight when I had to get undressed. I even skipped mammograms." —S.P.
But did you know it's getting worse? In 2021, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that more than 70 percent of adolescents said they had been bullied about their weight in the past year, and a 2019 survey found that 56 percent of adults also reported that they had been body-bullied, usually by friends or family.1
And "weight shaming" extends to those who are underweight as well as those who are overweight.
"I'd never tell someone they are too heavy. So why do people think it's OK to tell me that I'm too skinny or that they hate me because I can eat desserts?" —M.H.
Unfortunately, we often internalize the comments others make to us about our bodies and start to say the same things to ourselves. We tell ourselves that we're unhealthy and that it's our fault for being heavy or thin, but the truth about body weight is often very different.
Weighing In on Fertility:
These body size fictions do not only affect self-esteem, mood, body image, and quality of life. I know from my patients that body size can also impact........