How body shaming affects people’s lives?

1. Introduction
Today I will talk about a thought-provoking issue that is very familiar to all of us.
And it is about Body Shaming. And more specifically, how does it affect people's
lives? Most of us look in the mirror and feel dissatisfied with how we look. We
may not be aware of it, but we are often self-conscious of our body shape, size, and
weight. People call you ugly if you are dark-skinned or fat or a skeleton if you are
skinny. You are often a source of a joke among your peers without having them
realize how much it hurts you.
Body shaming may be considered a form of bullying. It includes making
inappropriate comments about bodies. People of all shapes and sizes can be victims
of body shaming. Even when said in a joking manner, body shaming is still hurtful.
Body shaming is often using sentences like:
• “WHY ARE YOU SO THIN?”
• "YOU NEED TO LOSE SOME WEIGHT!"
Body shaming can happen everywhere like at home, at school, at work, and most
frequently online or on social media platforms. Body shaming can occur against
any gender, and the statistics are alarming.
Yes, body shaming is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. In this
presentation, I will show you how body shaming affects people’s lives.

2. Body

And body shaming can lead to unhealthy behaviors and mental health problems,
such as:

- Anxiety & Depression

+ Body shaming can worsen existing symptoms of anxiety and depression. If

you are body-shamed in public or on social media, you may try to avoid going
to school or other situations where this shaming might occur. You may
withdraw from others and feel isolated and alone.

Hearing critical comments about your appearance can also be humiliating, and
increase feelings of low self-image, self-worth, and self-esteem. Consequently,
you may engage in negative self-talk. You may tell yourself things like “I am a
 bad person” or “I am completely worthless.” This can lead to extreme
loneliness, depression, anxiety, and poor body image.

- Eating Disorder

+ Additionally, body shaming can lead to unhealthy eating habits. It can go both
ways of the spectrum: eating too much to gain weight or refusing to eat in order
to lose weight. This can put people at risk of suffering from an eating disorder.

+ Body shaming can cause eating disorders like binge eating, bulimia, and
anorexia. You may start a diet that involves restrictive eating in an attempt to
change your body shape or size. But such dieting can spiral into harmful
behaviors like skipping meals, fasting, vomiting after eating, or excessive
exercising. Over time, you end up depriving your body and brain of essential
nutrients that are necessary for optimal health.

- BS make people self-conscious about their own appearance

When constantly receiving criticism and disparagement about their appearance,

many people cannot avoid low self-esteem. They start to become shy, timid and try
to avoid the eyes of everyone around them. Especially those who are in puberty, at
this time, children will be easily affected by external factors, so if they become
young body shaming, they will suffer more damage.

During puberty, children's psyches will become the most sensitive. Therefore, just
jokes and jokes about their appearance are enough to make children feel guilty,
ashamed, and even think about death. Especially in today's society, external beauty
is appreciated and valued by many people.

3. Conclusion
Someone once said: “Be proud of who you are and not ashamed of how
someone else sees you.”

That’s true because you should love yourself as you love others. We accept and
love people with their imperfections; in fact, what they see as an imperfection may
not be an imperfection for us at all. No one is perfect, and even models and other
celebrities are conscious of their appearance. Similarly, embrace yourself and let
no one make you doubt yourself. Do not set the same beauty standards that society
has set for you.