Yourself. For example, self-body shaming might sound like, “I look so fat in this dress!” or “My arms look so weird!” People in your presence. For example, you might be engaging in body shaming someone in your presence by saying something like, “You are not going to win any beauty contests at your size. ” Or, “Your hips are wider than the desk!” People who are not in your presence. You might be engaging in body shaming of someone who is not around by saying something like, “Did you see her legs in those pants? They looked huge!” Or, “Hey, it could be worse. You could look like her!”

You could say something like, “Hey, that’s not cool. You shouldn’t talk about John like that. " Remind people that body shaming is a form of bullying and that can cause people to become depressed and suicidal. [3] X Research source

If the criticism is veiled or general, you could just make small comment to acknowledge the rudeness of the remark. For instance, if someone says at dinner, “Maybe we should skip dessert. We’re all putting on a few extra pounds,” you could say, “Well, I need some chocolate. Anyone want to split something with me?” If it’s more direct, address it directly. If someone says to another person, “That dress is a bit tight on you,” you could say, “That’s a bit rude. I think it looks fabulous!”

For instance, if you see someone saying “You’re awfully fat!” to someone else, you could say, “Why don’t you keep your comments to yourself!” Tell people the facts about body shaming as well. For example, you might say something like, “These kind of comments and the unrealistic ideals that we place on women in our society is part of the reason why 5% of women have anorexia or bulimia. ” Or, you might say, “Body shaming does not help people; it hurts them. Being overweight or obese is not something that people choose to do and making negative comments about someone’s weight only makes matters worse. ”[6] X Research source

For instance, you could say, “I think your hair is amazing!” or “I agree, Jess, body shaming can make people feel worse about themselves, which is not healthy. "

For instance, you could write, “I know you probably didn’t mean to, but calling Jean out on her weight isn’t cool. It’s body shaming. "