Body image and fat acceptance are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain fat acceptance, and fat acceptance frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Fat Acceptance
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives fat acceptance
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary fat acceptance trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as fat acceptance
How Fat Acceptance Affects Body Image
Fat Acceptance can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Fat Acceptance Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by fat acceptance
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and fat acceptance