Gender
Impact of body image stigma on slender women
The idea of what a perfect physique is, fuelled by social media and societal pressure has distorted individual’s perspectives.
Body image stigma is one of the most debilitating issues that has led a lot of people into distorted views of reality, unhealthy behaviours, and self-doubt. Most people, particularly individuals with slender physique, are judged by their looks, making them feel inferior and not good enough.
The focus on physical appearance often makes them miss out on what really matters. Being slender offers a lot of opportunities beyond the physical appearance. However, most people do not realise this. They seek for other alternatives for external validation.
A slender physique is often associated to lean or slim physiques. Some people may view individuals with this figure as weak or fragile, lacking in energy or being skinny.
In a conversation with Miss Gifty Djarnie, a Level 200 student at the University of Media, Arts and Communication – Institute of Journalism (UniMAC-IJ), she shared her thoughts on being slender and how it has impacted her life.
According to her, being skinny or slim is normal and an identity.
“I used to be mocked because of my figure and size,” she revealed. “But as time went on, I acknowledged the fact that I am skinny, and now I am used to it. The stereotypes sort of gave me some confidence that hey, you are unique.
This is your identity and nothing can change your physique even if as time goes on, you increase in weight. It will still be in my records that I used to be skinny. So that’s an identity. One must embrace it wholeheartedly. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.”
Gifty has acknowledged that being slender is part of her identity so she has learned to accept and embrace it. She also acknowledged that societal stereotypes can have profound impact on one’s self-perception but ultimately, it’s up to the individual to define their own identity.
Miss Patience Bumbom, a professional model and beauty queen, who tells me about the opportunities of having such figure, talks about how they are highly paid compared to plus-sized ladies, and how she gets endorsement deals from clothing brands like Damson Vogue, to advertise their products.
She encouraged slender ladies to know their worth and embrace their body shape. She recounted how her colleagues used to call her “Alangadwoa, and Sugarcane”, making her feel bad.
Such derogatory names, she disclosed compels individuals with this physique to resort to the use of body enhancement pills to artificially put on a bit more flesh to appear more attractive.
That is not to suggest that having more flesh necessarily makes one attractive. Attraction would not come by just putting on weight but more about how one presents him or herself.
Sadly, that societal pressure has increased the demand for the body enhancing products, especially in the capital, Accra.
This was confirmed by Auntie Esi, a vendor of these products. In an interaction with her, she stated that body enhancement pills, silicon butts lifters and hip pads were in very high demand by the young ladies.
“They purchase these products to boost their body parts to look attractive.”
These drugs, she explained come in various forms such as liquid, pomade and powder.
“They also come with various side effects,” she revealed. “For some, it makes them feel sleepy; others would feel like responding to nature’s call. Despite all of these, they have absolute faith in their ability to transform the physiques.”
Aunty Esi also revealed that some ladies prefer to purchase the silicon butt and hip pads rather than go under the knife for a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) surgery due to its risks. “This has been my source of income for many years and I’m not going to stop. If I stop, how would I feed my children?” she queried.
Mr Godfred Arko Osei, a counsellor at UniMAC-IJ, shared his perspectives on the challenges faced by slender ladies and strongly advised against the use of enhancement products.
“It is all about your mindset,” he emphasized. “If you are able to cultivate a positive mindset about yourself and your appearance, it will boost your self-esteem, and other opinions won’t affect you at all. However, if you already have a negative perception about your looks, you’re already affected before anybody uses that against you. I wouldn’t encourage it because you don’t need artificial means to look good; it’s not a reflection of your true self.”
Without a doctor’s prescription, these drugs when taken, can be detrimental to the health of users. Is it worth it at the end especially when they lose their lives? What measures is the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) taking to keep these products off the market?
Stricter regulations and public education are crucial to curb the dangers of these unprescribed drugs. FDA can work with the law enforcement agencies to enact strict measures to arrest persons who sell these products to serve as deterrent to others.
Hospitals can also collaborate with institutions such as universities to educate on the importance of self-esteem and the adverse effect of such unprescribed drugs, ultimately safeguarding public health.
*The Author (jbanfro56@gmail. com) is a Level 300 Student Journalist at UniMAC-IJ
By Banfro Josephine
Across many farming communities in Northern Ghana, women routinely carry their infants on their backs while engaging in strenuous farm labour. This practice, though rooted in necessity and resilience, exposes both mothers and their babies to significant health risks, particularly musculoskeletal strain and developmental concerns.
For these women, the decision to take babies to the farm is rarely optional. It reflects the absence of affordable childcare, entrenched gender roles, and persistent economic pressures that compel women to combine farming, childcare, and household duties simultaneously.
Everyday Reality
In many rural communities in Northern Ghana, women begin their day before sunrise, balancing farm work with domestic responsibilities such as fetching water and firewood, cooking, and caring for children. Carrying infants on their backs, strapped with cloth, enables them to breastfeed and monitor their babies while going about their farming activities.
The use of outdated tools increases the risk of sprains and strains. Exposure to pesticides, extreme heat, and zoonotic infections further endanger women, especially those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Effects on Mothers
Dr. Enoch Harvoh, a Senior Medical Doctor at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, explained in an interview with GNA that the primary health risks stem from prolonged physical strain. He identified several key concerns, including musculoskeletal pain, postural changes, chronic fatigue, injury risk, and other hazards such women face.
Dr. Harvoh explained that musculoskeletal issues such as chronic lower back, upper back, neck, and shoulder pain are common among women who farm with babies on their backs. He added that back-carrying alters spinal alignment, increasing pelvic tilt and causing abnormal curvature of the spine, medically described as cervokypholordotic posture.
The combination of farming, domestic work, and childcare leads to severe physical exhaustion and stress, while frequent bending, squatting, and lifting further contribute to physical strain.
Effects on Infants
While back-carrying supports bonding and infant safety, prolonged exposure in farm environments presents risks to infants. These include:
- Lower limb development concerns
- Restricted movement and visual stimulation
- Potentially affected sensorimotor development
- Exposure to farm hazards including chemicals, machinery, and excessive heat
According to Dr. Harvoh, some studies link extended back-carrying to changes in leg alignment, such as genu valgum (knock-knees), though these are often within normal clinical limits.
Labour and Time Constraints
Women face chronic labour shortages, especially during peak farming seasons. Combined with unpaid domestic work and childcare, this creates extreme physical and mental strain.
Madam Saada Abdul, a farmer from Kpadjai in the Kpandai District, told GNA that she regularly carries her baby while weeding, harvesting, transporting crops, and cooking. “The work is very hard, and the baby’s weight adds to the pain in my back and waist. I hardly get time to rest compared to my husband,” she said.
Similarly, Madam Ramatu Iddris from the Nawuri community explained that women often prioritise labour on their husbands’ farms, reducing productivity on their own plots. Limited access to tractors, credit, extension services, and market information forces many women to rely on manual labour while carrying their babies.
These compounded challenges heighten women’s vulnerability to climate shocks such as drought, erratic rainfall, and economic downturns.
Intersecting Challenges
The practice of carrying babies to farms is embedded within broader structural inequalities. Customary inheritance systems largely favour men, leaving women with limited access to land. Many women farm on their husbands’ plots or borrow small, less fertile parcels of land, discouraging long-term investment and access to credit or extension services.
Women account for more than half of Ghana’s agricultural labour force, particularly in subsistence farming in the Northern Sector, yet much of their work remains informal and undervalued, with limited recognition in economic planning and policy frameworks.
Resilience and Coping Strategies
Despite these hardships, Northern women farmers demonstrate remarkable resilience. Common coping mechanisms include forming women’s farming groups to access training, credit, and inputs. Livelihood diversification, such as engaging in shea butter processing, poultry rearing, petty trading, charcoal production, and seasonal migration, can help supplement income.
Recommendations
Stakeholders in agriculture, health, and local governance must prioritise targeted interventions to reduce the physical burden on women farmers. Key recommendations include:
- Establishing community-based childcare centres to reduce the need to carry babies to farms
- Providing practical ergonomic training on safe lifting, posture, and culturally appropriate baby-carrying techniques
- Improving access to appropriate farm tools and small-scale mechanisation
- Strengthening workplace protections through rest breaks, access to potable water, and protective equipment
- Formally recognising women’s unpaid care and agricultural labour in national and district development planning
Health professionals also recommend targeted strengthening and stretching exercises for the lower back and pelvic muscles to mitigate long-term physical strain associated with combined farming and childcare responsibilities.
Conclusion
Women farmers are indispensable to Ghana’s food security and rural livelihoods. Yet their contributions come at a high personal cost due to systemic inequities, limited support services, and entrenched gender roles.
Addressing the health and productivity challenges faced by women who farm with babies on their backs is not only a matter of equity but a critical investment in national development, public health, and future generations.
—GNA
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A training and capacity-building workshop was held on Thursday for the media to intensify coverage on gender-based issues to support women’s participation in leadership and governance in Accra.
The workshop, held under the theme ‘Strengthening Advocacy for the Implementation of Ghana’s Affirmative Action (Equity) Law, 2024 – The Case of the Media’, brought together journalists from selected media houses.
The Convener of the Affirmative Action (AA) Law Coalition, Ms Sheila Minka-Premo (Esq.), stressed that the media has a critical responsibility to educate the public on the importance of the Affirmative Action Act, noting that sustained and informed reporting would strengthen advocacy and support the effective implementation of the law.
While commending both the Legislature and the Executive for the passage and presidential assent of the Affirmative Action Bill into law, the AA Law Coalition Convener appealed to government to address existing gaps. These include the constitutional provision of 30 per cent women’s representation in politics, inadequate policy frameworks to advance affirmative action, and weak compliance by state institutions.
She charged the media to highlight and promote the role of women in leadership and to actively support a smooth and effective implementation process of the Act.
In her welcome address, Executive Director of ABANTU for Development, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, said the training sought to strengthen journalists’ advocacy skills to enable them to educate the public on the provisions and significance of the law.
Dr Mensah-Kutin commended ActionAid Ghana for supporting the advocacy efforts, urging the media to prioritise the law to ensure its sustainability.
The Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121) was passed by Parliament in July 2024 and received presidential assent in September 2024, following years of sustained advocacy by women’s rights organisations, gender activists, and other stakeholders.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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