Fat Talk and Body Image Disturbance

Although the link between fat talk and body dissatisfaction is well established, the link between fat talk and other body image disturbance components remains underexplored. Our meta-analytic review explored the cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal relations between fat talk and body dissatisfaction, body surveillance, body shame, pressure to be thin, thin-ideal internalization, body checking, and appearance-based comparisons. We identified 35 relevant studies via electronic databases. Meta-analyses provided effect size estimates based on study design and whether fat talk was the predictor or outcome of body image disturbance. Results showed that fat talk is related to a broader range of body image constructs than just body dissatisfaction and that accumulated evidence from longitudinal and experimental studies—although limited in number—suggests it is more plausible that fat talk is a risk factor for these body image constructs, rather than a consequence of them. Nevertheless, the suggestion that fat talk may play a role in the causal sequence of body image issues highlights this as a potential area of intervention for researchers and clinicians. Given that fat talk is common and often well intentioned, awareness-raising exercises for parents and peers may be necessary to curb its incidence and impacts. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index .