Dancing with Weight Teasing: Understanding the Complex Interplay between Attitude Toward Weight Teasing and Eating Attitudes among Emerging Adults

Background: Individuals who face weight teasing experience body dissatisfaction and negative perceptions about their bodies. Weight teasing as a phenomenon tends to have an adverse impact on the eating attitudes and body image of an individual. Materials and Methods: In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with participants’ consent. Verbatims were transcribed and analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Attitude toward eating, including dieting, reasons for dieting and exercise, one’s own attitude toward weight teasing, attitude of peers, family, society, workplace, and romantic partners are the themes that emerged in addition to changes in attitude. Conclusion: Indian society has stringent norms and unrealistic standards about how an individual is supposed to look that has brought upon psychological distress and low self-esteem in people who have faced weight teasing. Systematic and thorough research is required to understand more about weight teasing, disturbed eating attitudes, and what can be done to prevent both.