Christmas 2022: When Did Santa 'Become Fat' and Is He Bad for Us? A Body Image Debate EXPLAINED

Days before Christmas, Santa Claus was embroiled in a body shaming controversy following a call to ban ‘fat Santas’ from shopping malls in Australia, according to reports. It leads you on a body-shaming tangent when it shouldn’t.” Dr. Lishman said happiness, tradition, and joy that people experience at this time of year should be “left alone,” especially given the recent psychological strain. The paper, “The dove effect: Use of acceptance cues for larger body types increases unhealthy behaviours,” was co-authored by Brent McFerran, assistant professor at the Beedie School of Business, and Lily Lin, assistant professor at California State University’s College of Business & Economics. The researchers advise both being aware of how people’s bodies are portrayed in the media and developing new strategies that do not focus on implying that any shape is “good” or “bad.” “While this study shows that accepting larger bodies results in negative consequences, research also shows that ‘fat-shaming’ – or stigmatising such bodies – fails to improve motivation to lose weight,” study co-author Brent McFerran says. ‘No Fat Role Models’: When a Santa Lost 40 Kgs Some critics believe America’s Santa should lose weight and stop promoting “a message that obesity is synonymous with cheerfulness and joviality.” Similarly, professional Santa Roy Pickler, 63, lost 88 pounds on The Biggest Loser and says his newly ripped physique will not prevent him from spreading Christmas cheer.