Body Shaming

The World Wasn’t Always This Fat Phobic

We often use the phrase "we are our own worst critic" to explain when we are too harsh on ourselves. Most people have a natural urge to always be better, quicker, and stronger, but this desire for perfection can have severe mental health effects, particularly when it comes to our physical appearances. Oversized characters are frequently depicted in the media as the show's funny story, resulting in "fat jokes" and a severe form of self-doubt known as body shaming. Parents, siblings, friends, opponents, and classmates all engage in body shaming, which is frequently depicted in the media. "Can you tell me why she's wearing that?" It's not at least flattering." Or “I am so ugly compared to her I will never find a date” are common thoughts and phrases used that are examples of body shaming.   Bad comments against someone's body size or shape can be extremely harmful to them, resulting in low self-esteem, anger, self-harm, and even mental health illnesses, such as body dysmorphic disorder. Body shaming is some kind of bullying and racism, and many victims experience mental breakdowns, inferiority complexes, excessive insecurity, and other issues as a result of it. That is, if you allow it to affect you. I've been told things like "I have a large nose," "I have big feet," "I'm shapeless," and other things like that. 

Females have always been judged based on their appearance in our society. Women are often judged purely on their attractiveness, with our bodies having authority above everything else. It's a shallow, hollow culture that's hurting a lot of women who have a lot to offer.

Even celebrities are victim of body shaming; Selena Gomez was body shamed but refused to accept it; Gigi Hadid was body shamed but chose to hit back and not let it harm her. Kim Kardashian, like other celebrities, was body shamed, but she fought back and didn't let it affect her, and I respect them all for it.

Many people do believe that our body determines our beauty, and that simply eating more carbs will lead us to gain weight and so on. However, this is not the case; weight gain can be caused by a wide variety of underlying health conditions, including genetic disorders and mental illnesses. So, commenting on a person's body, even if you say "you have become so slim and skinny, which makes you appear more beautiful," is not really a healthy compliment at all, and neither is saying "you have gained some weight and you are looking nice."

The worst part is that society has created an impossible game of "perfection" on magazine covers, posters, and advertisements, and there is no way of winning. It's only become worse in today's toxic social media environment, which is filled with trolls and people who don't care how their remarks harm others. With today's body shamers, there is no way to win. You're "anorexic" if you're skinny, and you "need to put some meat on those bones." You're "fat" if you're curvy, and you "need to drop more than a few pounds." Size 8s are deemed "too fat," and size 2s are called "stick figures" in our society.

We should be clear that, first and foremost, "the one who created us is God," and that, second, it is neither their body nor their life, nor their business, so why should they disturb us?

All I want is each of us should realize how valuable, special, and lovely we are. It doesn't matter what size jeans we wear or how we look in one-piece.  It's more important that we are a good, loving person who is comfortable in our own body. Everyone has the right to happiness and self-love. We don't have to match into anyone's "ideal" body type; all we have to do is be oneself. That is more than sufficient.

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself."

                                                                           Divisha Bhardwaj