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"Body shaming" is being used since 1990s to refer to: the act of criticizing or humiliating someone based on their body shape, size, or physical appearance, which can be directed at another person or at oneself

I am also looking for the opposite term for that. There are some people who appreciate themselves or others (the look, body shape, size etc.) To this end, I thought "body-appreciation" might work. This compound word can be better fit for the appreciation of others and oneself.

The other term I found is "self-acceptance" but this word is used for "oneself" only not others. Is this word more proper than "body appreciation"? Or there is another term more suitable than these two?

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    Maybe check out Dove's Real Beauty Campaign for ideas. Commented yesterday
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    Shame noun "1 a: a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety", verb "3 : to cause to feel shame". There's also Wikipedia pages on shame, body shaming and slut shaming, and fat-shaming redirects here. Commented yesterday
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    One wonders if perpetrators are tring to add body+shaming to the politically incorrect list of frowned-upon behaviors, e.g., discriminating on the basis of sex, gender, race, religion, national origin, off-planet parentage, cleanliness, wearing clothes, and the like. Commented yesterday
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    @Xanne That's almost certainly why the phrase has caught on. It's usually used when pointing out inappropriate behavior, much like pointing out racism or chauvinishm. Commented yesterday
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    Appreciation and acceptance are not merely different words; they are words for very different attitudes, which can both be regarded as opposites of shaming, albeit opposites of different kinds. Your using both of these words in the question is probably what led to your getting two very different answers. Commented yesterday

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Body Positivity [Wikipedia] is the antonym. Body positivity is the belief that all bodies are good. The people involved are worthy of love and acceptance, regardless of their size, shape, or appearance.

Also of interest is Body Neutrality, the view that the body's appearance is neutral (not good or bad) and shifts the focus from appearance to function and capabilities.

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    Although, the Wikipedia article perhaps broadens terms later, it initially contrasts an ideology or viewpoint ('the concept of body neutrality') with a social movement ('Body positivity is a social movement that promotes a positive view of all bodies ...'). And a noun with referent a movement can't be the antonym of a noun with referent an ideology. Commented yesterday
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    All babies are equally beautiful. Commented yesterday
  • Indeed, but moreso kitties, doggies, bunnies and piggies. Commented yesterday
  • Body positivity is a concept, and people believe in it, regardless of whether it is also a 'social movement'. Commented 21 hours ago
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Practical answer that aligns with common usage and not strictly dictionary usage:


Personally, I would use the term/phrase "Body glorification" (or "Body praising" as user46359 stated), as that more accurately represents the exact opposite connotation of "Body shaming" and is immediately clear that the connotation is not just positive, but is in fact exceedingly positive.

"Body positivity" is supposed to imply "all bodies are good" with a slightly positive connotation, including anorexic bodies, extremely muscular and low bodyfat bodies, average bodies, healthy bodies, small bodies, irregularly-shaped bodies, wrinkly bodies, bodies with missing limb(s)/finger(s)/jaw/mouth/nose/eye(s)/ear(s), hairy bodies, bodies with alopecia, bodies with a disproportionate ratio between body parts (such as torso-to-leg, facial width to facial height, etc), visually asymmetric bodies, and discolored bodies.
However, "Body positivity" is almost always used only in reference to morbidly obese people.

  • "Toxic body positivity" (where Toxic describes Positivity, not Body) is sometimes used to call attention to the highly-specific emotional usage of the phrase "Body positivity" for morbidly obese people, though even that counter-phrase is more specific than it's intended to be.
  • Some beauty-brand campaigns are trying to change this singular usage of Body positivity only describes morbidly obese people though, such as Dove [1] [2], even if they are still very strongly limiting the types of bodies they display due to 1) not having a significant-enough consumer base in the set of bodies they're choosing not to display (i.e., irrelevant "good" bodies) or 2) an unspoken/unacknowledged public disgust factor that would turn people away from buying their products upon seeing an ad featuring a "good" body that is, visually speaking, extremely displeasing to the general public.

If you ignore the face-value meaning of the phrase "Body positivity" implying a somewhat positive connotation to bodies, then "Body positivity" is the antonym for "Body shaming", at least with respect to common usage on social media.

In terms of connotation strength from weakest positive to strongest positive, I would rate the phrases as follows:
"Appearance hate/hatred" < "Body shaming" < "Body neutrality" (non-emotional, therefore no positive nor negative connotation) < "Self acceptance" (wrt bodies) < "Body appreciation" < "Body positivity" < "Body glorification" = "Body praising"

  • Something noteworthy: "Body <insert descriptor here>" implies a focus on the body, which is typically interpreted as the physically largest part of the body (such as torso in most cases, or sometimes the legs) rather than the entire human body. Therefore, smaller but still very noticeable, regions like the face, arms, teeth, smile, hands, feet, etc can be described by "Body <insert descriptor here>", but there is no guarantee that that interpretation is common usage, just like how "Body positivity" technically means "all bodies are good" despite it not typically being used in that general manner.
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  • Hey, you went on about bodies like Bubba to Forrest Gump about shrimp! :-) Commented 18 hours ago
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Body-Affirming

Body Shaming is Big Business — But We’ve Opted Out...Ready to explore more? Then visit our blog for body-affirming tips and refreshing insights that help you break free from diet and fitness culture.

From: https://barreeclipse.com/2025/08/01/body-shaming-is-big-business/

Bradimus' answer of "body positivity" is good, but relates a general attitude or approach - all bodies are good. And one meaning of "body shaming" is the general cultural attitude of shame about having a body.

But if "body-shaming" means more a specific attack on a certain body, then "body-affirming" is a more precise antonym. 'When I see that the romantic lead in movies is always unrealistically thin, I feel body-shame about my own weight, but I have to remember to be body-affirming about myself.'

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  • Shame about having a body? Isn't that everyone? Commented 12 hours ago
  • @Barmar At least pretty much everyone raised in a Manichean cultural tradition, yes. Commented 12 hours ago
  • I had to google that. AFAIK I don't come from a Manichean culture, yet everyone I know has a body. Who are the non-bodied people shaming the rest of us? Ghosts? Commented 12 hours ago
  • @Barmar Ah, I see. When you said, "Isn't that everyone?", I read "Isn't everyone someone that has shame about having a body?" but you meant "Isn't that everyone that has a body?" So, yes, everyone has a body. But the Manichean (or dualistic) cultures (re: 'western civilization') inherited this idea of body = bad, spirit = good (and a bunch of other dichotomies - dark = bad, light = good, female = bad, male = good, etc.). Other traditions (indigenous and some Eastern) have a more balanced or integrated view. Commented 9 hours ago
  • I don't think their philosophy is that bodies are bad/shameful, but that we should give priority to spriritual activities rather than physical ones. Commented 8 hours ago
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"Body praising" can refer to the act of complimenting someone's physical appearance, which can have both positive and negative implications. Compliments on appearance can boost confidence but may also be harmful by inadvertently encouraging disordered eating or creating a harmful standard of beauty. (Google AI dixit).

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    Hello, 463. Have you evidence that this is a widely used expression? Commented yesterday
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Nudist organizations believe in "body acceptance" meaning accepting your body shape whatever it is and other people can be kicked out for unwelcomed criticizing another person's body.

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  • Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. Commented 2 hours ago

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