Body shaming comes in all different forms - it can happen on social media when a person posts a cruel comment about someone else’s appearance as well as in real life. The pressure to live up to a beauty standard is something which is deeply ingrained in society, and ideas about what we should look like can sometimes spill over into the body shaming of others. It’s never OK – and it’s something that shouldn’t be tolerated on dating apps. Every person deserves to feel confident in their body and to feel comfortable when online dating. We wanted to shine a light on how harmful body shaming is and explain what we’re doing at Badoo to help protect our community from it.

What is body shaming?

Body shaming language includes any derogatory comment made about someone’s appearance, body shape, size, or health. It includes language that can be deemed fat-phobic, ableist, racist, colourist, homophobic or transphobic. On dating apps, it can take the form of someone discouraging particular people from interacting with their profile, for example by stating that they won’t consider anyone under a certain height. It can also come in the form of making negative comments about someone’s disability, skin condition, hair or mocking them for any aspect of their physical appearance. Something that people view as a harmless, throw-away comment, could actually be considered body shaming. If in doubt, it’s best to steer away from talking about appearance – pick something else to talk about instead.

Why is body shaming harmful?

Body shaming can have long-term effects on a person’s mental and physical health. If someone makes a cruel remark about the way another person looks, it isn’t easy to forget. Dating apps should be a place for honest and kind communication, flirting, fun and connection: not somewhere where anyone is made to feel bad about their appearance.

So, what is Badoo doing about it?

• We've updated guidelines for our content moderators to provide specific guidance against body shaming.
• If someone is using body shaming language on Badoo, our moderators will supply resources to help the person learn how to change their behaviour.
• Those who are affected by body shaming in-app are encouraged to report the individual using our ‘report’ feature. This will escalate the issue to our moderation team, who will investigate the report and take action against the user if necessary.
• If an instance of body shaming is repeated or particularly harmful, the individual acting abusively can also be banned from our platform.

Let’s work together to create a kinder and more accepting internet for everyone.

You can read our community guidelines here and view more information about safety on Badoo here.