A meteorologist and general assignment journalist for KSDK, Tracy Hinson recently experienced body shaming and her brilliant response received national attention from The Today Show, Fox News, and People Magazine.
Hinson says she responded because she felt the comment was “especially rude and kind of mean.” She also posted the picture of herself with the pasta because she hopes “St. Louis viewers would see it and be less likely to comment on my looks and my collogues’ looks in the future.” They often receive body-shaming comments. Earlier this year, another KSDK News co-anchor/reporter, Allie Corey was also the subject of negative comments from viewers. Hinson says body-shaming comments are sent only to the women at the TV station—not the men.
In order to deliver the weather, Hinson says, she needs to know the science—not be a supermodel. "Many people expect local news people to be held up to the same physical standards as network news or television shows," she says. "But we don’t have professional stylists or hair and makeup artists dressing us. We do it ourselves, and we are not experts at it.”
Audiences tend to view television personalities as role models, says Jillon S. Vander Wal, a professor and director of the Clinical Training Program at Saint Louis University. We often hold them to higher standards. So, if a TV person does something that goes against social norms, he or she experiences more backlash than the average person. This can lead viewers to not perceive newscasters and celebrities as real people. Consequently, this fosters a lack of empathy.
In Vander Wal’s opinion, fat-shaming is increasing. Social media allows us increased opportunities to interact with strangers, so “our behavior inhibitions are loosened because we don’t see the implications of our negative comments,” she says.
“Fat shaming is not only hurtful; it can also be harmful," Vander Wal adds. "It can increase depression, decrease the person’s likelihood of gaining medical assistance and/or losing weight. So, it has the exact opposite effects of those that are intended.”
Given how harmful fat-shaming can be, it is necessary to combat it on the societal and personal levels. Vander Wal suggests:
- Increase empathy. Vander Wal suggests having “certain programs, movies or public service announcements that illustrate the harmful effects of behavior [such as fat-shaming] and what people [subjected to it] are dealing with.”
- See something, say something. Fat-shaming is socially acceptable with fewer negative consequences compared to other targeted groups. It’s important for other people to speak up and say, “I disagree. Or what you are saying is harmful. What you’re saying can make things worse for somebody,” Vander Wal says. “I think if we don’t speak up, people think it’s okay. I think it suggests implicit agreement.”
- Speak up in your relationships. If you are being body-shamed at work, Vander Wal advises “let the person know it wasn’t appreciated or that remark was quite hurtful. It’s a really strong way of letting the person know where the limits of behavior are.” If it continues, go to Human Resources. If it happens in a personal relationship, Vander Wall stresses speaking up early on. “These kinds of comments will continue straining relationships and will get to the point where there will be a blow-up where it is hard to repair the relationship.” If addressed early, then you can move forward. However, if the person refuses to stop, “then it may not be a relationship you want to be in.” This applies to relationships with family as well.
- Focus on the important things. Although this can be difficult, Vander Wal says it helps to focus more on what you need to accomplish during the day rather than what people are thinking. “It’s also important to carry oneself with confidence even if you don’t feel it," Vander Wal says. "It’s a way of demonstrating that you are above things like this. Sometimes people say nasty things to hurt you and if they see you are hurt by this, they feel successful. Message delivered. If it’s ignored, they’ve lost their power.”
- Be aware of implicit biases. "We like to think of ourselves as good people who wouldn’t hurt anybody else," Vander Wal says. "We don’t even realize how small comments or implicit assumptions of other people can influence what we say.” The more aware we are of our own implicit biases, the better we’ll be at treating others.
“I’m happy that it opened a dialogue and that people were so supportive," Trinson says of that negative comment's aftermath. "It was very touching. I think other women could see the post and the comments and think, ‘It’s okay to have the body I have.’”
