Assembly Bill 10: Body Shaming Model Policy

Assembly Bill 10 led the CDE to initiate the writing of this policy. The guidance is a resource for our school communities to support the wellness of our students.

Guidance documents prepared by the California Department of Education (CDE), such as this, are provided as a reference, do not have the force or effect of law, and are not meant to suggest that the reader has obligations that go beyond those outlined in the cited statutes or legislative rules. Additionally, all reference links to outside resources are provided for the reader’s convenience only, the contents/accuracy of which are not otherwise verified or endorsed by the CDE.

Assembly Bill 10: Body Shaming Model Policy & Resources

On October 13, 2023, Assembly Bill (AB) 10 was passed into law with the stated purpose of providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to develop healthy attitudes concerning, among other things, body image. In enacting California Education Code (EC) Section 232.7, AB 10 directed the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop a model policy and provide resources about the issue of body shaming.

California Education Code (EC) 232.7 provides:

(a) (1) (A) On or before June 30, 2025, the State Department of Education, in consultation with the California Health and Human Services Agency, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission¹, and other relevant stakeholders, shall develop and post on its internet website a model policy and resources about body shaming that is appropriate for schools that serve pupils in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and that local educational agencies may use to educate staff and pupils about the issue of body shaming.

(B) The State Department of Education, in consultation with the California Health and Human Services Agency, the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, and other relevant stakeholders, may use existing resources or frameworks, or both, about body shaming or body image, or both, to meet the requirements of subparagraph (A).

(2) Local educational agencies are encouraged to inform teachers, staff, parents, and pupils about the resources developed pursuant to subdivision (a), including, but not limited to, by providing information in pupil and employee handbooks and making the information available on each schoolsite’s internet website.

(b) For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:

(1)“Body shaming” means the action or practice of mocking or stigmatizing a person by making critical comments or observations about the shape, size, or appearance of the person’s body.

(2) “Local educational agency” (LEA) means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

The Need for a Body Shaming Policy

Students are best able to learn, grow, and thrive when their basic emotional, psychological, and social needs are met. Before a young person can engage meaningfully in academic learning, they must feel safe, accepted, and supported in their environment. When students experience shame, discrimination, or exclusion, including when related to aspects of their identity such as body size, shape, or appearance, it can significantly disrupt their sense of belonging and safety and undermine their readiness to learn.²

AB 10 (Lowenthal, 2023) focuses on the connection between well-being and learning by encouraging Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) to educate individuals in the school community about body shaming. The law defines body shaming as “the action or practice of mocking or stigmatizing a person by making critical comments or observations about the shape, size, or appearance of the person’s body.” Body shaming can contribute to hostile school environments, including coinciding with bullying, and is associated with long-term effects on mental health, including anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and suicidal thoughts.^{3 4 5} Body shaming is frequently linked to broader systems of bias and discrimination, such as racism, and ableism (discrimination against people with disabilities). It can also intersect with sexual and gender-based harassment.^{6 7}

Young people across California have expressed that body shaming is often minimized or dismissed by their peers and adults, especially when presented as teasing or “just jokes.” When educators or peers remain silent in the face of body shaming, or laugh along, ignore it, or fail to intervene, their inaction can suggest that such behavior is acceptable. Both students and staff face peer pressure to conform to dominant appearance norms or stay silent when they witness harm. This dynamic reinforces a culture where body shaming is normalized rather than challenged.

The lasting harm caused by body shaming, including to mental health, confidence, and sense of belonging, was a key concern raised by partners throughout California. Reported concerns include an increased risk of self-harm, social isolation, school avoidance, and deterioration of mental health. Comments perceived as positive, such as compliments focusing on body shape or how clothing fits, can unintentionally reinforce harmful body image ideals or contribute to disordered eating. Partners emphasized that the impact of a comment, rather than its intent, ultimately determines how it is perceived. These effects can impact not only the individual targeted but also bystanders, reinforcing harmful social norms and reflecting underlying biases related to body size, appearance, and worth.⁸

This policy advances a preventive, collaborative, and healing-centered approach grounded in California’s Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (T-SEL) Conditions for Thriving. These conditions emphasize that students learn best when adults create environments that are inclusive, culturally responsive, identity-affirming, and rooted in strong, positive relationships.⁹

Purpose

This model policy is designed to guide LEAs and their schools in creating environments where all individuals and communities feel safe, supported, respected, and valued. It aims to:

Educate students and staff about body shaming and its effects.
Promote respect for diverse body shapes, sizes, presentations, expressions, and appearances.
Establish prevention and response procedures.
Recommend promising practices for fostering body positivity and body neutrality.¹⁰

Scope and Audience

This policy applies to all members of the LEA and school community, including students, staff, and faculty. It encompasses all school settings, such as classrooms, common areas, extracurricular activities, and digital platforms associated with school functions.

LEAs are encouraged to integrate the policy into student and employee handbooks and make it accessible through school websites and other communication channels.

Definition of Body Shaming

This policy encourages a shared, inclusive definition co-developed with youth to reflect their lived experiences. CDE collaborated with the Tulare County Office of Education’s Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) Youth Advisory and All Children Thrive-CA, which have been instrumental in developing this model policy. Together with partners, this policy defines body shaming as:

The mocking, stigmatizing, or commenting on a person’s body or appearance, which is perceived as negative, whether it is someone else’s or one’s own, regardless of the intent. It includes opinions, comparisons, observations, or gestures that result in emotional or mental harm, and demeans, judges, or marginalizes an individual based on their body or physical appearance. It may occur verbally, nonverbally, or online on social media and other digital platforms, and can escalate into social aggression, bullying, sexual violence and harassment, and cyberbullying. ^{11 12 13}

Body shaming often overlaps with, but is distinct from, bullying and sexual harassment. Bullying is unwanted, harmful behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. This behavior is typically repeated over time.¹⁴ While bullying consists of a power imbalance and repeated behavior, body shaming can occur in isolated incidents and without intent to harm, yet it can still cause significant harm. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. This includes making comments about someone’s body, appearance, clothing, or perceived sexual behavior.¹⁵

School Climate, Culture & Prevention Practices

Effective prevention is rooted in fostering positive school climates that promote a culture of belonging and inclusion. Youth involved in the process of creating this policy stated:

“A school that doesn't tolerate body shaming would have a positive community that uplifts each other.”

“A school is a better place where you can be comfortable and be who you are.”

Recommendations:

Integrate and implement prevention efforts that promote a culture of belonging, inclusion, healthy relationships, and restorative practices.
Foster a supportive, healing-centered, and respectful environment by empowering educators and staff while actively engaging students in the process.
Address body shaming across school settings, including physical education, health classes, and dress code, utilizing trauma-informed practices and approaches.
Extend these practices to digital spaces and school-affiliated online activities.
Utilize CDE’s standard California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) and make data available to school communities. Utilize CDE’s CHKS to establish and monitor benchmarks within LEA Local Control and Accountability Plans.

Links to Resources:

Training & Professional Learning

Provide ongoing professional development for educators, staff, and administrators. Youth involved in the process of creating this policy stated:

“I wish adults had more conversations that educate them about ways body shaming can show up and signs that they should look out for to stop body shaming.”

Links to Resources:

LEAs are encouraged to:

Adapt this model policy locally with input from diverse community members.
Establish clear and confidential reporting mechanisms and ensure that accessible support systems are in place.
Avoid exclusionary discipline; apply immediate, restorative, and relational approaches.
Treat the policy as a living document, reviewing it periodically with stakeholder input.
Incorporate data collection and use findings to refine policies and practices.
Support student-led initiatives that promote body positivity and peer support.
Create family engagement opportunities, such as workshops and resources, to extend body-positive practices into the home.

Resources & Student Supports

Youth stated:

“Students don’t want a talk or lecture or curriculum about body shaming.”

“I wish adults had ways to support us by talking to us, having conversations in small groups, and understanding how impacted we are by body shaming. I would love it if teachers and adults could sit down, have a cool moment with us, and guide our conversation.”

Recommendations:

Implement and encourage positive school climate and culture practices to promote a sense of belonging, inclusion, and the conditions necessary for thriving.
Implement and encourage awareness campaigns and student empowerment tools.
Promote the use of promising practices that foster a body-positive image and address body shaming, as well as promote media literacy.
Know your school-based mental health supports.

Resources:

Family & Community Engagement

Community-wide support is crucial in countering harmful body norms. LEAs and schools can assess school climate survey results, identify opportunities for improvement, and tailor policies to meet the needs of each school.

Recommendations:

Partner with families and community organizations.
Offer culturally responsive information and training.
Create spaces where all partners feel heard, seen, and valued.

Resources:

Integration with Other Policies

This model policy aligns with California’s behavioral and mental health, social-emotional learning, and other initiatives and frameworks:

References

1. The Mental Health Oversight Accountability Commission is now called the Behavioral Health Oversight Accountability Commission per Proposition 1, Behavioral Health Transformation

2. Maslow’s Hierachy and Bloom’s Taxonomy

3. Cerolini S, Vacca M, Zegretti A, Zagaria A, Lombardo C. (2024) Body shaming and internalized weight bias as potential precursors of eating disorders in adolescents. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38379620/

4. Brausch A, Muehlenkamp J. (2007) Body image and suicidal ideation in adolescents. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18089266/

5. Iwatate, E., Atem, F.D., Jones, E.C.et al.Trends in the relationship between suicide behaviors and obesity among adolescents in the United States from 1999 to 2019. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 33, 725–737 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02191-y

6. Bucchianeri, M., Eisenberg, M., Neumark-Sztainer, D. Weightism, Racism, Classism, and Sexism: Shared Forms of Harassment in Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 53, Issue 1, (2013). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3691304/

7. Saunders, J., Nutter, S., Waugh, R., Alix Hayden, K. Testing body-related components of objectification theory: A meta-analysis of the relations between body shame, self-objectification, and body dissatisfaction. Body Image, Volume 50 (2024). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1740144524000603

8. Collantes, L. H., Saputra, F. A., Solikhah, P. R., Laksana, T. C., Yakti, N. K., & Tipagau, J. (2022). Cyberbullying body-shaming levels in adolescence.Bulletin of Social Informatics Theory and Application,6(2), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.31763/businta.v6i2.603

9. California T-SEL Conditions for Thriving

10. https://www.verywellmind.com/body-positivity-vs-body-neutrality-5184565

11. Schlüter, C., Kraag, G., & Schmidt, J. (2023). Body shaming: An exploratory study on its definition and classification. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 5, 26-37. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-021-00109-3

12. Arumugam, N., Manap, M. R., Mello, G. De, & Dharinee, S. (2022). Body Shaming: Ramifications on an Individual. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(4), 1067–1078. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i4/13180

13. Mustafa, M. S. A., Mahat, I. R., Shah, M. A. M. M., Ali, N. A. M., Mohideen, R. S., & Mahzan, S. (2022). The awareness of the impact of body shaming among youth. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(4), 1096–1110. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i4/13197

14. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Education.

15. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Civil Rights for Individuals and Advocates, Special Topics, Sex-Based Harassment. https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/special-topics/harassment/index.html

Questions: Office of School-Based Health Programs | OSBHP@cde.ca.gov | 916-323-6277

Last Reviewed: Wednesday, June 25, 2025

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