Body shaming is defined as the use of inappropriate negative statements and attitutes towards a person’s weight or size. Celebrities from Cheryl Cole to Demi Lovato have publicly discussed coming under fire for their bodies by the media. Although many people automatically assume that body shaming revolves around berating women for being ‘fat’, Her Campus has found that thin shaming is also a real and dangerous issue, acentuated by the use of social media (which Essena O’Neill’s story of ‘faking’ her media presence has recently brought to the forefront of everyone’s minds).
Is there really such a thing as the perfect life or the perfect body? Are we being ‘shamed’ into seeking one through social media or our peers?
We asked our team for their opinions on body image, photoshop, and self esteem to find out.
Have you experienced body shaming and do elements of it affect your daily life?
Sophie: I’ve never personally been fat shamed but I still have low self esteem when it comes to my body. I know I should take my own advice about not paying such close attention to the way people’s bodies are portrayed in the media because they can be so manipulated, but being exposed to it from a young age- especially for our generation who have so much access to different forms of media- the damage has already been done. We already have an idea of what the perfect body is, even if we can never achieve it.
Isabella: I think body shaming is prevalent in really subtle but damaging ways – I can’t think of very many times in my life when someone’s directly insulted my weight or a particular body part but I definitely internalise the comments I hear on a daily basis about other people. People comment on (mostly) women’s bodies incessantly and we’re subconsciously internalising these messages of what is ‘too fat’, ‘too tall’, ‘too thin’ or ‘too flat-chested.’ It is really toxic and people who body-shame others don’t think about the fact that they could be touching on insecurities of the person they’re talking to, even though they aren’t shaming them directly.
Lucy*: I’m very tall, slim and basically flat-chested. I’ve had girls ask me if I’m anorexic, and even to this day, people have made comments about the way I look that have made me feel uncomfortable. Explaining that I’m ‘just naturally slim and have a high metabolism’ has often been met with sly looks of disbelief. Comments about being ‘more womanly’ if you’re curvaceous really bother me, and admittedly I’ve even been through phases of attempting to gain weight in order to fit in. I realise now that this is ridiculous- being and feeling sexy and confident is nothing to do with having big boobs.
Jade*: Personally, I haven’t experienced fat or thin shaming, but when I was in secondary school one of my best friends was very thin, but that was the way her natural body was; she ate more than any of us! People used to ask us if she was anorexic or if she was eating healthily when she was absolutely fine. I guess you could say people were concerned about her, but I actually think it was just morbid curiosity. How does the media effect your body confidence?
Lucy*: I really value all kinds of representation of women’s bodies in the media, but the ‘real women have curves’ kind of advertising is non-inclusive and a nonsensical statement in itself. Women should be encouraged to embrace their figures and not be ashamed for doing so- and slimmer girls need to be included in the ‘real women’ bracket.
Jade*: I think the media manipulating models via Photoshop has lots of negative repercussions on young people. Women are faced with unachievable standards, as it’s physically impossible to have such perfect skin and tiny proportions! Often, young men are influenced by this too and expect girls and women to be perfect, which is harmful for relationships. Men can also be made to feel insecure about their bodies, as the muscular, ripped stereotype is not an attainable goal for many.
What about social media?
Emily: It’s just gotten worse through Instagram and other social media sites, as everyone can now edit their photos to present themselves in a certain way online and airbrushing is only too easy to do. We’ve all become too obsessed with our online personas and those of others even when we know they’re probably not accurate, and so we become frustrated when we can’t match up to that in real life. We’re presented with the best bits of everyone else as they showcase what they’re comfortable with whilst hiding the bits they’re not. The problem is that we’re all chasing something we can’t realistically have, and nobody is willing to accept themselves when there’s apparently always somebody better.
What do you think about Photoshop still being common practise in the media?
Emily: I definitely feel like there’s a problem with Photoshopping in the media in terms of presenting unrealistic body images. There have been some recent changes with certain celebrities calling attention to how their photos are edited and requesting this be toned down whilst also showing fans the originals. However, it’s not enough when it’s seen as a triumph that a model like Gigi Hadid, who is still very small, is accepted onto the runway despite not being a size zero.
Sophie: I think that Photoshopping women’s bodies will always exist to some degree as it’s used to sell things or encourage people to buy things to look a certain way, but it will always be damaging and it will always create insecurities. Young girls need to realise that nobody has the perfect body and everyone has imperfections in some way but that doesn’t mean you are less beautiful.
Isabella: Photoshop really grinds my gears – yes, we all know that the model in the magazine has been Photoshopped but it still creates this ideal of beauty which is totally unachievable. Everyone has flaws, but erasing them on our adverts and in our magazines makes them seem shameful, like we should do our best to hide them.
Do you think universities do enough to educate its students on the effects of body shaming and to encourage body confidence?
Sophie: I don’t think there is enough about body confidence at universities. I think student run newspapers/magazines tackle the issue effectively but I have never seen the university directly tackle this issue.
Jade*: I think there is lots of information available about body issues and I think it is a topic that is discussed frequently. At UoN, the Women’s Network and UoN Feminists are working together on running the uni’s second Body Confidence Week, which will this year be held at the end of November.
What impact has University had on your attitude towards your body? Do you think that university can sometimes breed an environment in which body shaming is the norm?
Sophie: I think my body confidence has improved since being at university due to weight loss and gaining confidence in a social way that I didn’t have at school. University allows you to be who you want to be more and there aren’t silly cliques and categories that you have to fit into anymore. I think my self-image and attitude towards my body is affected by many things, such as celebrities, advertising etc.
Isabella: I definitely think body-shaming is a bigger problem at university than in other parts of society, because the lad culture is such a big part of uni life. There’s this expectation for some guys to act a certain way at uni and it often leads to sexist behaviour (like objectifying and body shaming female students) which is dismissed as just being banter.
Moving closer to home, do your friends affect your body confidence at all?
Sophie: I think peers do affect my attitude to my body too. I see girls everyday that are so much thinner than me and it can really have a negative effect on my confidence. I always hear girls, who to me have the perfect figure, saying they hate their body and they look fat or they wish they were skinnier, and I always do the same thing. I think we all have our insecurities and always will but we should try to change these insecurities as much as we can.
Finally: is there such a thing as a ‘perfect body’?
Isabella: Hell no! There’s no perfect body! A perfect body comes from a mind totally free of insecurity but I’d be amazed if there’s anyone in the world who isn’t insecure about something.
Lucy*: I don’t think the perfect body exists…it’s a myth! We shouldn’t try and achieve perfection anyway; imperfections make us interesting.
Sophie: I think the perfect body depends on the individual and what they perceive it to be but generally in the media one example is an hourglass figure with a slim waist and no cellulite or imperfections. I don’t think a perfect body does exist, everyone has imperfections but that’s what makes them individuals.
*Some names have been changed.
Edited by Tia Ralhan
Image sources:
http://femgermania.tumblr.com/post/70642273842/skinny-shaming-ok-so-im-not-trying-to-get-you
http://girltalkhq.com/what-today-s-body-image-standards-taught-this-woman-my-body-is-disgusting/
http://www.hanneblank.com/blog/2011/06/23/real-women/
http://www.hercampus.com/school/u-ark/learning-i-go-give-yourself-break-when-youve-let-yourself-go
http://theodysseyonline.com/george-washington-university/body-shaming-me…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/thou-shalt-not-be-judged-_b_7…