Adolescents and Body Shaming Meta-analysis of Studies

Authors

1 Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Social science, Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

10.22059/jisr.2025.393826.1615

Abstract

The growing body of research on "bodily concern" regarding the appearance of children and adolescents links the body to issues of identity and self-concept, and examines the reciprocal effects of the body, self, and broader socio-cultural contexts. In adolescence, as children strive to find themselves, they become aware of their physical appearance and its outward manifestation. The inconformity between the perceived body and the idealized images presented to adolescents makes them vulnerable to experiences such as body shaming.
The present study seeks to examine, review, and gain a more precise understanding of the novel phenomenon of body shaming in adolescents using a qualitative meta-analysis approach. To achieve this goal, 11 national and 40 international research texts were selected and analyzed from 8 scientific databases.
The research findings are presented in two sections. Descriptive findings indicate that the topic of body shaming has gained attention in adolescent studies since 2018 and has experienced significant growth until 2024. Furthermore, quantitative approaches and the fields of psychology and social psychology have been dominant. Analytical findings of the studies confirm the prevalence of body shame among adolescents. Media and social networks, social and cultural pressures, and family have been the most important factors in creating body shaming in adolescents, and it has had extensive psychological consequences for them.
Overall, the review of sources shows that despite the undeniable role of socio-cultural contexts and social interactions in creating body shaming in adolescents, this issue has been neglected. nstead of focusing on social constructs and offering solutions to prevent this phenomenon, research has concentrated on understanding its psychological consequences

Keywords

References

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Social Studies and Research in Iran
Volume 14, Issue 3 - Serial Number 56
September 2025
Pages 429-450

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