Body shaming arises from own insecurities

Akanksha Srivastava

A corrosive trend that is increasingly growing among people is body shaming. It is quite common among people be it our relatives, friends or most importantly the strangers who are not even known to us.

Celebrities on body shaming

Shockingly enough, some people do think or believe that making a person feel ashamed about his or her body is a potent way of motivating one to transform one’s body and of course work harder to achieve this ‘miracle’. Even celebrities get trolled for their bodies. One example is of American Singer Kelly Clarkson who was targeted by the British TV personality Katie Hopkins, who tweeted, “Jesus! What happened to Kelly Clarkson? Did she eat all of her backing singers? Happily, I have widescreen”. Such comments lead to reduced self-esteem and increased insecurities among people specifically amongst today’s youth. There are people who just wish to curb your vibes, those who have all the time to judge others and no work to do, so they’ll just utter anything.

Many of us have been through this body shaming and may have stopped eating less than our regular diet just to grab the attention of others. When someone condemns our looks, we withdraw ourselves in shells and we hardly stand up against bullying. ‘They say and we listen, sometimes we feel angry, hurt and even numb’.

Film actor Sonakshi Sinha, in a video against body shaming, said that she has nothing to hide neither her curves nor her weight because she is not a number on the scale. She is there for a reason not to impress someone and that’s what makes her unique.

Why it happens?

Why does this happen? Why do we remain silent? Is it because we lack self-confidence? So here arises a very prominent question. What is a perfect body? Is it a handsome hunk with six-pack abs or a woman with an enviable zero size figure? A perfect body is a myth superimposed on us by society.

It is so surprising to find a 10 years old girl being worried about her figure? We need to understand that no one chooses a body they have and especially an unfit one by oneself. Now it’s time we stand up against all this bullying. Body shaming does not only mean making someone feel bad about their body but also means criticising your own appearance and comparing it with others. And of course, it arises from our own insecurities.

Media also influences our perceptions to look slimmer or fairer. Does it really mean that only whites can create fairy tales? Slapping our faces with a variety of creams we often fail to realise that chocolate brown can also create fairy tales.

If you are willing to do something, nothing can stop you from touching the stars. Body shaming is a deplorable practice that must be avoided at all costs. Let’s practice it by being our own lovers.