‘Fat Talk’ Compels but Carries a Cost

Jan Hoffman writes for The New York Times: “This exchange is what psychological researchers call ‘fat talk,’ the body-denigrating conversation between girls and women. It’s a bonding ritual they describe as ‘contagious,’ aggravating poor body image and even setting the stage for eating disorders. Some researchers have found that fat talk is so embedded among women that it often reflects not how the speaker actually feels about her body but how she is expected to feel about it.”