Body shaming and woman’s bodies: between misrecognition and violence

Abstract

The study presents the results of research on body shaming, analyzed from a comparative perspective that highlights differences in the processes of regulation and control between the female and male body. The investigation, conducted through a self-administered questionnaire using probabilistic snowball sampling, involved 1.014 participants and explored: perception and characterization of the phenomenon, experiences of victimization, and effects on mental health. Drawing on an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, the study examines the definitional criteria provided by victims and non-victims, with particular attention to asymmetries in the social evaluation of bodies, the processes of normalization of violence, and the contexts in which the phenomenon occurs most frequently across genders. The findings further indicate a greater pervasiveness and rigidity of normative pressures on the female body across the life course, while also revealing differences in patterns of exposure, perception, and impact between men and women, and underscore the urgency of pedagogical and psychological interventions aimed at prevention, critical awareness, and the re-signification of the body as a space of experience, dignity, and subjectivity.