Nobody likes to be called fat, but plenty of girls are willing to call themselves fat, overweight or unattractive, especially if their friends start the self-degradation. A personal pity party turns into a group self criticism where participation is mandatory.

“I’m not negative about myself until someone else is negative about themselves. I’m thinking, ‘Damn, if they think they look bad, what about me?’â€? Samantha Fasel, an 18-year-old freshman physical therapy major said.

A phenomenon that researchers call “fat talk,� it’s a term used to describe a behavior where females are supposed to say negative things about their bodies in a group of other females also saying negative things about their bodies. This behavior is common in middle school-aged Caucasian females.

In an MSNBC.com article titled “Female ‘fat talk’ mandatory, study finds,� Denise Martz, a researcher at Appalachian State University said her research found college-aged males and females also “know the norm of fat talk.� Martz’s research shows that fat talk seems to also occur in older females.

In one of Martz̢۪s studies, when 124 male and female college students were shown a scene describing three women engaging in fat talk, 40 percent of the males and 51 percent of the females believed the fourth female would also degrade her body.

Fat talk may be so common that many females may not even realize they participate.

“I don’t even know I’m participating. It just comes out naturally,� Fasel said.

Many people agree that fat talk stems from society̢۪s obsession with appearance, weight and the notion of an ideal body type.

“There’s a lot of cultural pressure to conform to a particular body type,� Stephanie Morris, a registered dietician at Fresno State, said.

“The social pressure on women is different than men,� Dr. Amanda Adams, a psychology professor at Fresno State, said. “It’s not absent in men but I don’t think it’s by any means as prevalent as it is with women.�

Isabel Barraza, a 20-year-old undeclared sophomore, believes it̢۪s about being accepted socially and trying to meet society̢۪s ideals.

“A lot of it has to do with how society has pictured the perfect body, the perfect girl. I think it’s about wanting to fit in, to be part of the crowd. You don’t want people to think you’re better than them,� Barraza said.

While some women may engage in fat talk to receive support or voice one̢۪s own insecurities, some may participate just to be involved in the conversation. Morris said the big danger is when a person bases self-worth on appearance and body weight. Adams said participating can lead to a bad self-image.

“I think it can become a cycle,� Adams said. “It turns into an external focus. You focus on your physical body rather than your abilities. That’s only one aspect of a person and it’s an incomplete view of who you are.�

Adams said she believed women who participate in fat talk may or may not grow out of it, depending on their social network and group of friends after college.

“I think they probably grow out of it when their social context changes — when they find sources of praise from work or family. If they end up being in the same social setting or with the same group of friends, they might not grow out of it,� Adams said.

Morris said friends can play a big role in one̢۪s self-image and whether one will participate in fat talk.

“One’s social network can definitely have an impact on how you feel about yourself — either positively or negatively,� Morris said.

Katie Kawamoto, an 18-year-old freshman theatre arts-design major, is one female who doesn̢۪t participate in fat talk, in large part because of her group of friends.

“Everybody does it sometimes but my friends don’t really talk about stuff like that that much. Most of my friends don’t wear makeup or very little. We always compliment each other when we like stuff we’re wearing but normally we’re not negative,� Kawamoto said.

To avoid fat talk and promote a positive self-image, psychologists and nutritionists say it̢۪s important to think positively and focus on one̢۪s abilities, accomplishments and goals rather than one̢۪s outward appearance.

“There’s no two people on the planet who have the same body. Try to be accepting of different body types. Try to substitute positive talk as much as possible. The more positive messages out there, the better,� Morris said.