Body Shaming among University Students: Awareness and Implications on the Body Image

Abstract

Body shaming is a form of bullying that exposes victims to many emotional, physical, and social risks and consequences. This study aims to determine whether university students recognise the implications of body shaming on individuals and discover the students’ perspectives regarding their body image. Fifty students from five different faculties (Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Hotel and Tourism) in a public university participated as the respondents in this study. A questionnaire was created in a Google form and distributed to the students via the WhatsApp application. The questionnaire focused on respondents’ awareness of the implications of body shaming and their perspectives regarding their body image. The data were analysed using descriptive analysis and described in frequency and percentage. Based on the results, most respondents recognised the implications of body shaming. However, more than half of the respondents appeared to have an unfavourable opinion about their bodies. This study has demonstrated that body shaming can cause severe impacts on adolescents and society in terms of psychological concerns, body image dissatisfaction, academic implications and eating disorders. Hence, proper actions must be taken to cultivate positive attitudes and well-being in our community.