We live in a world where a Kim Kardashian body is both glorified and mocked while super-thin supermodels are idolized and critiqued. It seems that at any size, women just can’t win. This calls to mind an issue that has affected me personally: skinny shaming. Believe it or not, body shaming comes in all shapes and sizes. Being someone who has a naturally fast metabolism and a below average weight from childhood throughout my teens, having people think that I’m anorexic, bulimic, or flat out unhealthy because of my somewhat lower weight is something that really gets to me.
During high school, a time when one comment can instantly provoke a meltdown of self-doubt and confusion, I visited my doctor for a regular check-up. After all the poking and prodding of shots and blood tests, I made my way over to the scale. The nurse furrowed her brow as she recorded and told me my weight. My doctor came back into the exam room with a look on her face like a concerned mother.
“Are you eating enough? Have you been especially active in sports or other forms of exercise lately?” she asked, peering over the rims of her glasses with wide, questioning eyes. The thought of being active in sports made me laugh (I’m seriously lacking in hand-eye coordination). I reassured her that I had been eating plenty and healthily.
I felt myself tune out the stream of medical jargon from my doctor that followed. I resented the assumption that I hadn’t been taking care of myself, an assumption that had been made by others before. Honestly, it pissed me off to be chastised and interrogated about the body I was born with.
Skinny shaming is happening to girls and boys of all ages and just as often as we shame women for being overweight. In the media, in everyday conversations, in our own heads, “skinny bitches” are judged just as harshly as “fat chicks.”
Aren’t we supposed to love the skin we’re in? Why is it that we feel the need to attack women–our sisters, our friends, and even ourselves? All for something as trivial as weight! The worst part is that we are our own harshest critics. According to a survey published in Glamour earlier this year, a whopping 97% of women have an average of 13 negative thoughts about their bodies every single day.
Let’s replace judgment with support — both for ourselves, and for each other. The next time you look in the mirror and think, “Ugh, my thighs are enormous!” or “I wish I could just gain a few pounds and fill out!” make the conscious decision to focus on something you love about yourself instead. You are in control of your own thoughts, so why not make them positive?
Aren’t we supposed to love the skin we’re in?
This should affect how we see each other, too. Ladies, we need to stop being so hard on one another! If we’re insecure with our own bodies, we find faults in others to make ourselves feel better. So, if you have a negative opinion of someone, here’s a brilliant idea: keep it to yourself. If you’re not sure if what you have to say is helping or hurting, it’s better to just say nothing at all. Think about it: in the long run how much does a change in dress size really matter, whether it’s yours or someone else’s? We’ve got bigger and better things to worry about.
Have you ever been shamed for your weight? How can we end body-shaming?
I am ashamed of my weight. I did everything to lose weight, and look slimmer, but the case is my body is not the type of that body who will trim its fats after proper diet, and exercise. I guess I should accept the fact that this is the body for me, and I should never be ashamed of it because this is me.
Let us be realistic in here. If you see a woman with oversized body walking on the street of NYC, you will just ignore it? Or will you give a damn comment about her? I can say that I will give a comment about her weight, but I will keep it by myself because giving comments to strangers is very unnatural.
To us, men, body figure is important, but that doesn’t mean that we never dated an overweight girl. I can date an overweight girl as long as she can promise me that she will love me with her whole heart. I will love the person by her personality, and not by their weight.
We can end body shaming if we just stop being judgemental. If we stop being hard on each other, we can live a happier life.
Oh, you girls are known for being like this. Teasing, and giving an opinion even though without being asked. Try to be more sensitive when it comes to giving an opinion because you might hurt their feelings.
Instead of giving a hurtful comment about their weight, why don’t we just accept them for who they are? We should stop mocking people because of their weight. We don’t know the reason behind their physical appearance, so it’s better if we shut our mouth, and stop giving AF about their life.
Oh, that is true. I know someone who mocks other people to boost up her confidence. I always wanted to stop her, but she never listens to us. She doesn’t even care how many girls hate her, as long as she is happy with what she’s doing, and that is mocking.
Body shaming is really hurtful and shouldn’t be made by anyone! Even if some people said that they aren’t affected by it, a small part of them is still hurt
People will always judge you by your physical appearance. What you do about it is all that matters. My advice? Show them that you’re better than what they’re thinking. And let them be surprised on what you can do.
I like how a lot of women nowadays are confident about their bodies. It makes them even more beautiful and attractive! Size is just letters and numbers.