THE ISSUE OF BODY SHAMING

“We are our own worst critic” is often a phrase we use to describe when we, as
individuals, are too hard on ourselves. For most people, it is a natural tendency to always be
better, faster, and stronger however this craze for becoming better can result in severe
mental health consequences, especially when it comes time to our physical appearances.
Body shaming involves humiliating someone by making inappropriate or negative comments
about their body size or shape. As well as “fat shaming,” you may also hear negative
comments if you’re underweight or in reference to a specific body part. This type of criticism
can be made to others or yourself. You may feel unhappy with your weight or how your body
looks and judge yourself harshly. You may even engage in negative self-talk, such as “I feel
so fat today” or “I need to stop stuffing my face with food.” The act of body shaming can be
carried out in person or remotely via the internet and social media and can be done by your
parents, siblings, friends, or people you’re not even close to. Even in a joking manner,
remarks about what you eat or how much food you consume constitutes body shaming.
Giving someone advice about dieting or praising weight loss is also considered body
shaming, whether intentional or not. Often, your friends and family members don’t want to
hurt your feelings, but their comments can still be of a critical nature. They may not realize
the negative effect that questions like “Have you lost weight?” or “Do you really need to eat
all of that?” can have. While nobody is immune to societal pressures to look a certain way,
comments about your body are unnecessary in any context. Whether the body shaming is
being done by yourself or others, there are ways to overcome the problem, build body
positivity, and learn to look at yourself in a more compassionate and realistic way. Social
media often emphasizes physical appearance and makes it easy to post hurtful comments
about others. The overall message is often that you should strive for the perfect body and
find ways to hide your flaws. This can have a huge influence on your body image. Body
shaming on digital platforms is related to cyberbullying, but there are ways to fight back
against those who body shame online, overcome the pain and anguish they cause, and
reclaim your sense of self-worth.

In our current society, many people think that thin bodies are inherently better and
healthier than larger bodies. Historically, however, that hasn't always been the case. If you
think of paintings and portraits from before the 1800s era, you can see that plumpness was
revered. Being fat was a sign that a person was wealthy and had access to food, while
thinness represented poverty. In her book "Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in
American Culture," author Amy Erdman Farrell traces the shift from revering heavy bodies to
the preference of smaller shapes to mid-nineteenth century England when the first diets
books were published. She noted that the focus on diets, and bodies at large, was centered
around women. Author Sabrina Strings says that fatphobia resulted from colonialism and
race in her book "Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia." Body shaming
may be rampant, but that doesn't mean you should take part in it. Making a point of not
body-shaming is the kinder option for all people, yourself included. Being intentional about
not engaging in various types of shaming may lead to better mental wellness. In addition to
not body-shaming, it can be helpful to be more body-inclusive. This means encouraging the
acceptance and celebration of shape and diversity in appearance, focusing on health instead
of size or weight, and appreciating the human body for all that it is and does.
 MEMBERS
1. Brigole, Charmaine Grace P.
2. Botuyan, Carmela Beatriz A.
3. Ansing, Erleen Bea G.
4. Mejia, Lyll V.
5. Jimenez, Curt Hazel G.

References
Meehan, Vivian of ANAD (1976) https://anad.org/get-informed/body-image/body-image-
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Feeding and Eating Disorders. (2013) In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders. American Psychiatric
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Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. (2013). In Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
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Gam, Rahul, Shivendra Singh, Manish Manar, Sujita Kar, and Abhishek Gupta. “Body
Shaming among School-Going Adolescents: Prevalence and Predictors.” International
Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health 7 (March 14,
2020). https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20201075

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Body-Shaming.
Braun S, Peus C, Frey, D. Is beauty beastly? Gender-specific effects of leader attractiveness
and leadership style on followers’ trust and loyalty. Zeitschrift für Psychologie. 2012; 220(2),
98–108. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000101
Tietje L, Cresap S. Is Lookism Unjust?: The Ethics of Aesthetics and Public Policy
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Throughline. Lululemon founder to women: Your thighs are too fat.
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What Is Body Shaming?

Body shaming is the act of saying something negative about a person's body. It can be about
your own body or someone else's. The commentary can be about a person's size, age, hair,
clothes, food, hair, or level of perceived attractiveness.