Body Shaming

   

I have been aware of my body since the age of 8. The pounds that sit in the walls of my skin, and the curves I've inherited from my mother, could never hide during the moments I’d examine myself in the mirror. My body would stare back at me, as if to say, “this is all you’ve got.” At an early age, I understood that my body was an open casket for eyes to judge, and soon enough, this new found “awareness” forced me into a world of insecurities. Nowadays, we refer to this feeling as “body shame.” My large thighs and curvaceous hips set in at a very young age for me. In the fifth grade, I often wore a jean skirt that was my absolute favorite. One day, as my class was walking to the lunchroom, my teacher pulled me to back of the line and confronted me and my old jean skirt. She said to me, "Fiyona, honey, I don't think you should wear that skirt anymore, you are too thick. It is inappropriate and this should be the last time that you wear it." I complied and went on my way, but I couldn't help but notice the other girls in my class happily running around in their jean skirts. They of course weren't "thick" so it was okay that they continued to wear them. After that, I became very conscious of how my body moved in the clothes that I'd wear. In this society, we seem to not only acknowledge, but criticize, the exterior appearance of an individual rather than their interior. By doing this, a person's self-worth is unintentionally manipulated and damaged. 
          

"WARNING: reflections in this mirror may be distorted
by socially constructed ideas of beauty"

Over the years, social media has become a platform for many interests, such as, beauty, fashion, communication, and even networking. You may have noticed though that the positive aspects of social media have now forfeited their stage to bullying. One of the most common forms of online bullying is body shaming. Every day, thousands of women endure insensitive comments suggesting that they must conform to society's unrealistic standards of beauty. Such proposed critiques are solely driven by the lies our westernized world has led us to believe about attractiveness and confidence. In recent times, women are seen reclaiming their purpose in the online community by refusing to submit to the ideals others force upon them. These women now advocate a movement that encourages acceptance and confidence of one’s body. 

In its original state, social media is a form of expression and communication. The online community is slowly coming back to its roots with the help of strong, beautiful women found all over the world. “Shaping the online fat acceptance movement: talking about body image and beauty standards,” by Adwoa A. Afful, discusses the creation and motive of the Fat Acceptance movement (FA). The Fat Acceptance movement began in the 1950's after the term “obesity” was created to clinically define overweight people living in the United States and Canada (Afful 454). Women today have applied this movement to their social media accounts by posting pictures of themselves, and captioning the photos using the hashtag, “#bodypositive.” To further the spread of this movement even more, the Fat Acceptance movement has “appropriated the phrase ‘coming out’ from the LGBTQ rights movement to create new ways of [accepting] fatness” (Afful 455). The goal is to eliminate any negative stigma surrounding the term “fat.” By doing this, people will begin to feel comfortable in their own skin.

We dance around the word "fat," afraid we are going to offend someone who might fit under its requirements, yet it is possible for those who are considered fat to be comfortable in their bodies. Although it may seem tough to love your body in a society that constantly rejects it, your body is the one thing you came into this world with and it'll be the only thing you leave in. Your body will always be there for you so the least you can do is show it a little love:). 

Video:

Here is a video that takes us through every body shape starting from Ancient Egypt times and ending at our current decade. This project from Buzzfeed shows that exterior beauty is constantly changing, and we all know that anything that changes should never be relied on.

Works Cited

Afful, Adwoa A. and Rose Ricciardelli. "Shaping the Online Fat Acceptance Movement: Talking about Body Image and Beauty Standards." Journal of Gender Studies, vol. 24, no. 4, Aug. 2015, pp. 453-472. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09589236.2015.1028523.                          

     "Body Positive." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.

"RowzshikiRose : Warning! Reflections in this mirror may be distorted by the socially constructed ideas of beauty... HAHA! naks. pw http://t.co/qJ5zobgr | Twicsy - Twitter Picture Discovery." Twicsy. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.

BuzzFeedVideo. "Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History." YouTube. YouTube, 26 Jan. 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2017.