study of 4060 individuals reported that the pressure to lose weight from family and the media during adolescence could have long-lasting effects on a person’s internalized weight stigma.
“People with a higher body mass index report more experiences of weight-related stigma and greater internalized weight stigma. However, internalized weight stigma can also affect people within the recommended and underweight body mass index categories, where it predicts disordered eating and drive for thinness, making it relevant for mental health across the body weight range,” they added. “Internalized weight stigma differs substantially between demographic groups.
The 31-year-old participants completed questionnaires where they rated their agreement on a scale of 1 to 7 with 11 statements like “I am less attractive than most other people because of my weight” and “I hate myself for my weight.”