Body shaming
We have all experienced "body shaming" in different ways from different people, which includes friends, family, partners, co-workers, and even strangers.
"Oh, you have put on so much weight", "Are you okay? You have lost so much weight", "Your marriage proposal cannot be accepted because of the height", "This dress makes you look fat", blah, blah, blah.
However, this is not a new phenomenon, it has been going on for ages, it is just that, we have become more aware of it, and now have a term for it.
Body Shaming and Culture:
Body shaming was prevalent in ancient times as well; however, it was in a different context. For instance, being fat was considered wealthy and well cultured. While being thin was looked down upon.
They had to bear comments like, “You should have enough food”, etc. Also, thin and slender women were considered undesirable.
While, in today's times, every body type has to bear the brunt of it. Fat, thin, long, short, you name it.
Body shaming also manifests into the skin and hair colour. For example, if one has gray hair at an early age, there are comments like, “She is so brave to wear her natural colour”, without considering the fact that the person might have some health issues which has led to the white hair.
Body shaming and their negative impacts:
It can have a severe impact on our physical and mental health. It can lead to eating disorders like binge-eating, bulimia, and anorexia. It can make us feel lonely and isolated. It leads to low self-esteem, low self-confidence, tendency of self- harm, anxiety and even depression.
The negative impacts are as follows:
Eating disorders - People start to follow different types of diet, without consulting any professionals, which result in other physical ailments like malnutrition, poor gut health, low weight etc.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder- This can turn people extremely self-conscious, so much so that even the small flaws get magnified in their heads. They keep looking at the mirror and analyze themselves from all angles possible.
Excessive Exercising: In order to lose more weight and look good, people resort to excessive exercising. Exercise is good for health but excess of it is not. It can lead to fatigue and tiredness. It also increases the risk of injuries and illness because rest and recovery is equally important for the body.
Anxiety and Depression: Needless to say, body shaming can have detrimental effects on mental health. Low self-esteem, low self-confidence, tendency of self-harm. One starts to be ashamed of oneself which leads to social isolation.
Personal experience of body-shaming:
Like everyone else, I have also been subjected to body shaming. Let me share an incident with you. Once, I went to a get-together, which was attended by near and distant relatives of mine.
Being a shy and introverted person, I was sitting and listening to all the chatter around. Suddenly, one distant brother of mine commented, “You’ve certainly grown up. It seems your growth is now solely horizontal rather than vertical” (edited).
His remark was not only insensitive but also hurtful, leaving me embarrassed, humiliated and sad. It was a tear-jerking event for me. I was pretty naive back then and could not manage the whole incident.
Body shaming and Body positivity:
Body shaming has actually been a catalyst for the body positivity movement. It is a social movement that celebrates all body types and sizes.
While body positivity has become increasingly popular, people still are confused by what it exactly means. For instance, normalization of ‘plus-size’ risks the hidden danger of obesity.
You will find various advice like how to accept your body, how to not get insecure about it and so on and so forth. The major idea that has become increasingly popular is owning your body.
People now feel free to do what they want with their bodies, including wearing what they want, and expressing themselves in any way they choose. We see it every day, how people have embraced this notion.
In fact, nowadays people don’t just wear clothes, but they make a statement out of it.
This is evident in the increasing visibility of plus-sized models, and dark-skinned models in advertising and on billboards. Whether this change is positive, or negative is a matter of opinion.
This phenomenon has elicited diverse perspectives. Some believe it is a positive development, as it allows people to feel more confident and comfortable in their own skin.
While others express concern that it is a negative development, as it can lead to people becoming complacent about their health and fitness goals.
BUT, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR EVERYONE READING THIS.
You see people wearing all types of clothes in their daily lives, skimpy, tight, loose, short, sheer, with inners, without inners, and whatnot. Apparently, we are independent to do that.
Now let me ask you, except when you are in your bedroom (that is completely your private space) and in your workplace (certain profession demands certain attires), in the name of freedom, independence, modernism, trend, new age, inclusivity and empowerment, are you permitted to wear anything and everything that suits your fancy?
Or are there some ethics, morals, principles, and civic sense to be kept in mind? Should we not carry ourselves with grace and respect for others?
For instance, when someone goes to the local grocery store, people are overtly casual in their appearance, sometimes only half - covered.
When parents pick up or drop off their children at school, or when people run errands, go to malls, parties or meet up with friends, we sometimes feel uneasy with the way they dress up.
The point that I want to stress on is, just because we have the freedom of "personal choices", does that mean we should abandon all standards of decency?
Should we not still maintain some level of etiquette and appropriateness? It is not that difficult to understand that everything does not suit everyone.
Even when we are at home, with our families, we should still take care of what we wear. In my opinion, everyone in the family should follow some degree of decorum and decency.
If we are not careful about how we present ourselves, do we really have the right to complain about what others say about us? And then get emotionally or mentally get affected by it?
It is important to be mindful when making personal choices about clothing. By being respectful of others and the situation, we can all create a more comfortable and inclusive environment. Don’t you agree?
Just saying!
Think and let me know in the comments section.
Till then, ciao!
Sucheta
Disclaimer: I am not an expert or a professional in the field of mental health. This writing is based solely on my experience and observation, and it is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. If you need help with mental health issues, please contact a qualified professional.
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