Body Shaming

This week I've been thinking about something that has been very apparent in the media recently.

The concept of people 'shaming' each other for being a certain shape or size is something that I haven't ever understood.

I was motivated to write this post after seeing this photo on my Facebook news feed last night:

A number of my Facebook friends were also expressing their confusion and dislike for these kind of photos that are covering social media.

In my opinion there is no figure that should be percived to be more or less desireable than another.

Surely it is up to the individual how they look, and equally up to the individual who they find attractive.

To teach young girls that there is a specific body shape that is universally desired is not only a lie, but ultimately leads to dissatisfaction with their own bodies.

As well as creating a generation of girls who are filled with self doubt and low self-esteem, these kinds of photos also create expectations of what should be found attractive and desireable within society.

I obviously am not trying to promote clinical obesity and being severely underweight, but I also feel that these two scenarios should be completely detached from this issue. Body shapes and sizes due to medical conditions are not what is being discussed under the title of 'body shaming'.

From what I've watched and read 'body shaming' concerns people 'shaming' those of a particular size.

For example, people who are naturally slim being 'shamed' for being 'too thin' and undesirable to men as presented in the photo above. Or alternatively, those who are considered slightly overweight being 'shamed' for being 'fat' and again, undesirable to men.

It almost seems that body shaming occurs mainly on the basis of what is attractive to men?!

 What happened to girl power?

It angers me that there are even categories for body shapes and sizes. People's weights shouldn't be relevant outside of a medical context.

The fact that women are categorising each other and promoting 'shaming' between categories is something that I don't think I'll ever understand.

After speaking to some male friends it is apparent that body shaming does occur between males as well as females. Men have an ideal that they feel they should be to be at their upmost desirable. However this is less apparent in the media than the shaming between females.

I've been thinking about this recently because of the surplus of tweets, photos and statuses I have seen relating to this kind of thing.

Don't even get me started on that 'Don't Judge Challenge' phase. What even was that. 

By sharing these photos you are encouraging the spread of such a harmful message that plants ideas of ideals.

Be part of the fight against body shaming.

We should be trying to promote self confidence to everyone, not just a certain 'category'.

Social media is such a powerful tool, use it wisely.

Think before you share.

Think about the message you're sharing.

'til next time

Hannah xo