Let’s stand against body-shaming

Dear Editor,

Body-shaming is a phenomenon of criticising yourself or others because of some aspect of physical appearance.

Criticising another’s appearance in front of them, (i.e.: “With those thighs, you’re never going to find a date.”) Criticising another’s appearance without their knowledge. (i.e.:“Did you see what she’s wearing today? Not flattering.” “At least you don’t look like her!”)

Females are not the only ones who are body-shamed but males also, and it’s clear that ladies are the ones who are mostly criticized on their body sizes.

Body-shaming is not only talking bad about the physical appearance of both genders but also when someone receives insults such as  “your head like car tyre”  “your big eyes like eggs”  “ your tiny legs like chopsticks” and a whole lot, are also body shaming.

People used to appreciate other forms of body stature and shapes but the story has changed. In this article I point out the problems and its various shades.

Whether you call someone “too fat” or “too slim,” one thing is clear: nobody should feel ashamed of their weight, clothing size, body-shape or have low self esteem on their beauty or looks.

The media is one of the main cause of body shaming.  The media sometimes offer tips about how to lose weight “in days,” appear slimmer “instantly,” and hide our “imperfections.

Walden Behavioral Care however provides some tips on how to curb body- shaming. In order to challenge body shaming one most do the following:

Practise identifying why you are upset about a situation. Think of people who celebrate their body for what it can do, and people who refuse to comment on others’ physical appearances.

Spending time with these people can be especially helpful while you are struggling with your own internalised body-shaming, and help you view yourself – and others – more positively.

Find something (or things) you LIKE about your body. We spend so much time on advertisements about how to make our eyelashes millimetres longer and how to get whiter teeth that it’d be nice to counter some of that by celebrating what we.

Edward Nartey,

Student, Ghana Institute of Journalism