Although the most of us are aware of the term, your mental health can be significantly impacted by understanding what is body shaming and how to respond to it. It’s important to understand the harmful impacts of body shaming, how to respond when you hear or see it, whether or not it’s intended at you, and how to avoid unwittingly body shaming yourself.
How it Occurs?
Body shaming is the act of criticizing the appearance, proportions, or shape of another person’s body. This can be done in overt and blatantly harmful ways, including asking someone if they should wear a particular kind of clothing based on their size and shape. Body shaming can sometimes take less overt forms, including masking it as a complement. This can be demonstrated by saying something like, “Wow, you look so skinny!” For some people, being thin may be a goal, but for others, it may be harmful to their physical or mental health. Additionally, body shame might be disguised as a health issue: “Perhaps you should skip the cake and have fruit instead?”
This makes it difficult to define what body shaming is. In light of this, it is best to err on the side of caution and refrain from making any comments about another person’s body.
Reasons behind Body Shaming
It is much more difficult to understand why people body shame others. Because people who don’t fit into a slim body stereotype frequently experience body shaming, both online and in public, it is frequently claimed that body shaming and fat shaming are interchangeable. The worst are the ‘just-concerned’ body shamers, according to Keisha, a 17-year-old. I don’t mind if people have negative things to say about my appearance, but the ones who try to pass off hate as concern truly irritate me. The frequency with which we body shame individuals whose bodies don’t match our preconceived ideas of what a body “should” or “shouldn’t” look like is made obvious by Keisha’s argument.
Judgment is frequently a driving force behind body-shaming, and tragically, we are all capable of committing this sin. How frequently have you made snap judgements on people you saw on the street or on social media based on what they were wearing or how it looked on their body? It doesn’t make you a bad person if you’ve ever done this, but it’s a good idea to be aware of it and try to figure out why it happens in order to stop yourself from doing it again. We frequently transfer our own anxieties onto other people. Instead of condemning others, focus your attention on embracing your own appearance and yourself.
Body Shaming has no place and has to STOP!
We must work to support one another in ways unrelated to our outward looks if we want to end the terrible cycle of body shaming and its crippling consequences on self-esteem. The best method to ultimately improve everyone’s self-esteem and wellbeing is to focus on what makes them interesting, special, and intelligent.
There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful
Ariana Grande is hoping that being open and honest about her body will have a beneficial outcome.
The “thank u, next” singer used TikTok on Tuesday to talk about remarks others have made about how she looks. “I just wanted to address your concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to be a person with a body and to be seen and to be paid such close attention to,” she shared. “I think we could be, I think we should be, gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what — if you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is, healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, nonsense — we just should really work towards not doing that as much.”
Grande is accustomed to responding to remarks about her figure. She wrote that calling somebody a “stick” is not acceptable back in 2016 after receiving the remark. Today’s society makes it IMPOSSIBLE for women, men, and anybody else to accept themselves exactly as they are. Variety is hot! “It’s sexy to love yourself!” Grande disclosed, What is NOT sexy, you ask? Body shaming, objectification, labeling, comparison, and misogyny!!! asking for your approval or opinion by referring to people’s bodies as though they were on exhibit. They’re not at all! Celebrate who you are. DELIGHT IN OTHERS.