Body Shaming and its Effects on Today’s Society

In today’s society, peer influence, people’s thoughts, and their judgment of how we should look, and behave, have always had an impact on many of us. These judgments have led to making adjustments to everything that makes us who we are, which has led to body shaming. ?Due to the standards set by people on what is beautiful and what is not, what is best and what is not, we have made regrettable decisions and might’ve never known about it. Standards like hair colour, weight, clothing, fashion style, age, attractiveness, and body hair have all been weighed on us to become perfect. In the long run, we tend to forget that this little detail is what sets us apart from others and makes us unique and one-of-a-kind.

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What is body shaming?

Body shaming is the act of criticizing your or someone’s physical appearance. This is a form of bullying mostly done on social media which contributes to bad self-image, low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and more mental issues. Unfortunately, it is an act that is very noticeable on today’s social media. Body shaming leads to a lot of image humiliation and mental degrading, it is usually, but not limited to fat and height shaming. Some acts of body shaming include shaming tattoos and piercings, boy shape, height, muscularity, and thinness.

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Body shaming is of many kinds and types which has been affecting our society at large.?Nowadays, social media and tv have set a lot of standards before viewing yourself as beautiful or close to it. Beauty standards like being slim, with blue eyes, tall, straight hair, and smooth pale skin have been set as the image of perfection in our minds. So, we tend to spend a lot of time hating ourselves for our shortcomings. Most people tend to be ashamed of their bodies either due to their height, age weight, and more, always wishing they could fit in and be like everyone else, or like social media models or celebrities. Unfortunately, today’s society's beliefs are mainly targeted at one’s appearance and attractiveness and have been made a very crucial detail to relationships and interpersonal interaction.?

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Back in the day, body shaming had no value, due to the fact that being fat meant you were wealthy and well-fed, and nobody cared about body shape or body size. Everyone was happy with what they got and always found ways to live with it. But nowadays, social media has been a medium in which image perfection has gained popularity, and is widespread. Older women want to look young and beautiful again, and younger women want to fit in and try to fit in the beauty size created by brands, celebrities, and media. Men want to look attractive and perfect, and all genders diet and are willing to go the extra mile to get perfection and beauty standards.

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Body shaming begins when one is not sure of their self and has a distorted perception of one’s body which leads to low self-esteem and one’s aim to accomplish body perfection. Body shaming leads to wrong decisions like extremely strict diets, emotional distress, self-harming, rigid exercises, cosmetic procedures, and mental disorders. ?There are many ways and measures to counter body shaming and make society more about body image promotion and one’s uniqueness which have been put into action by the appropriate health and mental officials.

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Overcoming body shaming

Overcoming the impact of body shaming is a plan that requires time and effort, but the outcome of these efforts is sure to be helpful on your journey

A few ways to overcome body shaming include:

• stop evaluating or talking about people’s bodies. Everyone is unique in their own way.
• Learn more about yourself, and know more about your strengths.
• Disengage negative body talks, and try to look at the positives of your body
• Love yourself more.
• Learn to compliment body shapes and types.
• Be compassionate and speak up.
• Go for therapy.

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