Which words can we use?

When talking to a child or a teenager about weight, body shape and size, it is important to choose words wisely. Emphasize that bodies come in all different shapes, where no shape is right or wrong, or good vs bad. 

 

Prior to talking to a child, be mindful of which phrases you would like to use. The child quickly detects if the adult feels uncomfortable or insecure discussing these topics. Using simple terminology and numbers is a neutral and simple way to convey messages that are not related to looks, attractiveness or appearance.

 

We recommend using these four basic words; big and little, heavy and light. To differentiate and describe things in more detail, phrases like 'being heavier/smaller/lighter' etc can be useful. By sticking to these words, most children can describe how they feel about their bodies. 

 

Questions can be phrased in a way where the adult will ask if the body feels heavy when trying to play, or that it was easier to run around when the body was smaller. In this manner, the focus is not on appearance/looks, but on function. 'Smaller' and 'bigger' also puts emphasis ion the fact that bodies do come in all different shapes and sizes, normalising variety. 

 

The goal is to refrain from using words that are negatively or positively charged when it comes to describing bodies. This is why we strongly recommend avoiding words like e.g  skinny, fat, pretty, ugly, obese.