| Bullying and Body Image |
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Bullying on the grounds of body image/size/obesity is one of the most prevalent forms of prejudice-related bullying. Recently, the level of such bullying has been exacerbated by national concerns about rising levels of obesity. The media's constant reinforcement of concerns about body image/size/obesity and the trivialisation of these issues is a key factor related to this problem. Body image is hugely important to children and young people and bullying because of body image can have a real negative impact. A child or young person who is noticeably over or underweight may find themselves particularly vulnerable to bullying behaviour. This bullying may itself take a variety of forms including name-calling, mimicry of eating habits or perceived eating habits, demeanour or physical agility, nasty comments about clothes and general appearance and/or covert photos being taken when changing for PE. The impacts of bullying on the ground of body image can manifest in the development of poor eating habits and eating disorders. Barriers to telling that bullying is taking place:
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