“The subjective picture or mental image of one’s own body” is the definition that comes up on Google for “body image.” We have all struggled at one point or another with how we look, and what others have thought of us. Both girls and guys have stared at themselves in the mirror picking at what could look better, or have been haunted by negative thoughts that only became worse. Personally, the topic of body image can be quite uncomfortable to talk about. On Twitter, I conducted a poll that questioned what others have gone through when it comes to body image.
In my first poll, I asked, “Have you ever body-shamed someone either verbally or privately to yourself?” The results were as follow:
Yes, verbally – 0%
Yes, privately – 50%
Yes, both – 33%
No, I have never body-shamed – 17%
As a total, only six people voted, but these opinions speak volumes. Sadly, it has become the norm to judge someone by their looks. Let’s say a woman who walks into the food store is overweight and struggles to breathe as she walks. After seeing the woman, the first thought you may have or have had is, “Oh my gosh, why doesn’t she take care of herself? She’s so big!” What you don’t realize is that maybe she has bad genetics, or a disease where she can’t lose the weight, or she can’t afford to buy healthier food choices like you can.
We have come to learn that body-shaming has not only become a social norm, but we use it as a defense mechanism to disguise our own insecurities. It is sad that people are so negative on themselves that they take it out on others that they might not even know. To those reading this post, if you experience a moment where you are about to body-shame someone out of anger or frustration, stop and think why you are being negative. I believe it is vital for our own mentality to take a check of our own problems, because depending on our insecurities, it can help us get rid of the negativity.
Sometimes we forget that as humans, we have emotions and words can hurt. I try to never give others negative comments about their body, because I know myself, I’d be upset if someone made fun of my body. Today, at this moment, let’s stop the body-shaming! We are humans and we do get jealous of others. Some days we build ourselves up in a negative manner to feel superior over someone we may not know.
Stop it.
And lets be more kind to one another, as we never know what others struggle with.
The Bold Quest 
I have never body-shamed someone out loud, but I definitely have internally questioned their health (regardless of skinny or otherwise). It wasn’t a common occurrence because I have had best friends who were extremely skinny, but ate a lot of food and never gained weight, just as I had friends with more “meat on their bones”, who were extremely healthy, but had trouble losing weight. I think I started questioning their health if I personally knew them, and they would make alarming statements.
I think I’m the harshest on myself. I used to be quite thin until I was about 18-19. It was really upsetting to gain weight, and now I find it so hard to lose that weight. I look at myself and don’t really like the body I’m in, and that’s when self-body-shaming comes more into play. Great post Becca, you really got me thinking about the reality of body-shaming xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
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Thanks! Yeah, it’s a different ball game when it’s friends because we care for them & want what’s best. I hate it when we’re harsh on ourselves, I think that can be even worse. I’ve definitely had those days!
Thank you so much! 🤗
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