Did you know what skinny shaming is? I want to define the practices of skinny shaming and how society influences others. So, what is it? “Skinny Shaming” is a practice of criticizing people for being skinny. Well, is it good? Not! Are we doing anything about it?
Who knows!!! You know, people like you and me are skinny-shame celebrities all the time on social media platforms. Whenever someone posts a picture in a bikini or an outfit where they look thin, people are right there in the comments, shaming their body. This means you are not receiving any pretty privilege!
Recently, Ariana Grande was skinny-shamed because of her slimmed-down shape! Fans started comparing her earlier body shape and deemed her healthier back then. However, Ariana took to TikTok to explain that it was not the case. Rather, during that period, she was on a lot of antidepressants.
So, now we know that skinny shaming not only negatively impacts the mental health of an individual but also makes assumptions that might be completely wrong.
Context of Skinny Shaming
To give you a better context of skinny shaming, let me compare it with fat shaming! When an individual is fat-shamed, they are ridiculed for their extra weight. However, it may have nothing to do with them eating too much.
Similarly, when an individual is skinny, it might not be related to a specific action! And yet, we keep asking thin people to eat more. Sometimes, the requests are so direct that they harm the person’s sensibility. It might be because of a medical condition!
Personal Experiences
Let me share some personal experiences of my friends who have been skinny-shamed! For example, a friend said, “Whenever there is a meeting with my manager, and it gets extended to lunchtime, my manager always asks me to help myself to more food.
Even if her demeanor is quite friendly, I sometimes feel irritated. It impacts my work sometimes. Again, I eat more than I can manage, which makes it more difficult.” Now you know how personal experiences of individuals can affect a person’s mental and physical health.
A friend says, “Back in school and college, I was not as healthy as I am now. It took me time to hit puberty, and I did not develop as early as my friends did.
“So, every now and then, I used to become a laughingstock, or they used to make fun at my expense because I was pretty skinny and did not have breasts like my friends at that age had developed.” Can you imagine the hurt? This person keeps asking themselves, “do I have pretty privilege?”!
Another friend shares her experience! “A relative keeps telling me I am all skin and bone whenever she visits our house. At times, she says things like these in front of my boyfriend, who sometimes visits for lunch, making it quite embarrassing for me.
Even my parents are uncomfortable with such comments, but she is quite elderly, so nobody says anything.” If you are equally skinny-shamed, I can understand the severe physical impact and the mental treacherous effects you might be experiencing!
Differentiating Skinny Shaming and Fat Phobia
Let me share with you the unique aspects of skinny shaming because you must understand it to understand how it is different from fat phobia. Both these approaches are forms of body-shaming, which is interrelated to the misogyny of having a certain expectation of women.
Women are always expected to look, appear, or behave a certain way. This leads to several disorders! Let me explain a little better when it comes to skinny shaming being different from fat phobia. A lot of people are intensely scared and fear getting fat or gaining weight, which is also known as pocrescophobia.
So, these people are always worried about getting fat, but it is not like skinny shaming. When others constantly pass comments and judge you because you are thin, even though you do not want to get fat or gain weight, that is the context.
I would also like to explore the societal biases against thin individuals. Family relatives, family members, and peers constantly judge and reject them based on their skinny body shape. They are sometimes given lower pay at work or fewer opportunities because people think they might not work effectively.
So, what are the societal beauty standards? What are the impacts of these standards on skinny shaming? I have seen with my own eyes that often, both men and women are judged because they are underweight. Discrimination against men and women is a commonplace thing because they are skinny!
I would also like to share the significance of addressing skinny shaming because it will give you a better idea of its impact. There is a stereotype, both conscious and unconscious, towards skinny people, creating further disadvantages for them.
Consequences of Skinny Shaming
There are several consequences of skinny shaming, and most of them are negative. The first consequence will be related to mental health, as individuals are psychologically impacted first. Body dysmorphia is the outcome of body shaming culture, which leads to dangerous, disordered behavior!
This behavior might include anxiety, social isolation, and depression! Insecurities related to body shape can push you towards severe disordered behaviors. Through social media platforms and public platforms, you face regular criticism because you are skinny.
It will then lead to the development of eating disorders! If you are skinny-shamed, you will, of course, try to bring changes in your eating habits, which might tend to produce more negative results than positive, in my opinion. At times, women do not experience female privilege because they do not conform to societal looks!
When you are suffering from an eating disorder, your self-esteem will be impacted. It can be difficult for people, especially when it is not their fault. Having a specific body shape is not someone’s intention. However, the people around us keep blaming us for the way our bodies are.
Ways to Address Skinny Shaming
One of the most important ways to address skinny shaming is to destigmatize the concept of fatness and thinness! The more we define people by their body weight, the more concerns such as skinny shaming and body shaming will increase.
The untrustworthiness of women towards eating has developed in society! Often, the appetites of individuals are judged when they are skinny and overeat. They are asked, “Where does it all go?” Again, a fat person is considered when they eat, even if it is less.
We should encourage body positivity for everyone! Diverse body types should be celebrated by society and the media, considering they have power over the narrative. The press uses a certain type of body to advertise its products and services.
We need to change the way we think about these aspects, and then the media will change its narrative. The media uses ideal cultural influences to advertise and promote the ideal image of being tall, thin, and young! I would also like to highlight even men do not have gender privilege when it comes to skinny shaming!
It is the media that sets unrealistic beauty standards on a global scale, making it impossible for thin people! It is also difficult for those who are fat. I realized that all kinds of body shapes are judged regularly in our society.
We need to promote body shape diversity and acceptance in our everyday lives, not just through campaigns and public awareness! When we meet someone, instead of looking at their body shape and judging, we should try to get to know them through their personality.
Conclusion
In short, skinny shaming is one of the most hurtful judgments societies can make against individuals. Judging skinny people is not nice at all, especially when they hardly have control over their body shape. Excessive dieting concern is not like shaming a person for their natural weight!
After you read the blog, tell me about your perspectives on resolving it on a social level. You also need to understand that even you and I judge skinny people by unintentionally hurting them.
I am sure you will become more aware of how you joke about a skinny person from now on! Comment on what you think is the best way to address skinny shaming and why.
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All Comments
Rodolfo Lawrence
I do trust all the ideas you've presented in your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too short for newbies. May just you please lengthen them a bit from next time? Thank you for the post.