Body Shaming: A Normalized Form of Bullying In Schools

Abstract

School and peers are important elements of a student’s microsystem and in the ADOLESCENT years, it becomes crucial to have a healthy and supportive environment. Body shaming is a form of bullying and is less studied in the Indian school context. The objective of the study was to find the prevalence and impact of body shaming on adolescents in school. An explanatory sequential mixed-method research design was used to study the stated objectives with a sample of 126 students aged 14-18 years. The quantitative data findings reflect that body shaming as a construct is not prevalent in the school, selected for the study. However, qualitative findings suggest that there is a prevalence of body shaming but not considered a problematic act by the students. The findings led to the conclusion that there is a lack of awareness about body shaming and its impact needs to be studied with a larger population.