Have you ever got an unpleasant comment about your body from a friend, a colleague or even a stranger?
Have you ever got an unpleasant comment about your body from a friend, a colleague or even a stranger? Probably yes, we were all born in different shapes. Yet, society (we're society though) shames those unique precious bodies on a daily basis. Even though fat shaming is discussed more frequently , thin girls, and boys receive an equivalent crazy amount of hate . As a skinny , underweight and flat in terms of beauty standards made by god knows who gal , I've heard since a young age, the not as funny as they think comments : 'you need some meat on those bones’ , 'you look like you're 13'. It's actually ironic how i only figured out that i was skinny when people started pointing it out to me. And i think a lot of girls and boys will relate to these situations. But i didn't know this when i was fighting my own battle, i felt alone. That's why normalizing all body types is crucial. Moreover, we, especially teenagers, spend several hours of ours days on our phones neglecting the emotional harm this may cause . Every social media network has a dark toxic side where people, hiding behind a screen, reveal their devil face. If you go on Instagram and read the comments under a skinny model pictures you'll be shocked. The comments may be disguised in medical advices ' go see a nutritionist', 'u r anorexic' or be filled with pure hate ' skin and bone' ' u ll die alone' ect. The amount of hate thin human beings get is scary. And it took me a while to figure out that the mean words they said had nothing to do with me and everything to do with them, they are projecting their own insecurities on other people because they are too afraid to face 'em.''Hurt people hurt people'', cliché but so true.
On an another level, Capitalism and patriarchy are behind promoting the perfect yet unattainable shape of women( hour glass body, silky long hair..) , which led to an unhealthy relationship between us and our bodies ( eating disorders..).
A great example of what's going wrong in the world is Donald Trump and his sexist & bodyshaming saying : 'a person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a 10 '. Yes he said that.
Also In this views oriented art industry , we find numerous songs, quotes and shows That body shame skinny girls by calling them '' not real women'', One of these songs that pisses me off is Trainor' s song " all about that bass". She literally said : "She, referring to her mom, says boys they like a little more booty to hold at night". So according to the 'superstar' her key to body acceptance is boys approval. Not sexist at all, i know.
Since a lot of us go through this, we need to put a stop to this mockery . There isn't a secret recipe or magic beans that will make it disappear ( lol i wish). It's a long journey of self love, (that I'm still in) and I'm grateful that body positivity youtube channels, self help books and empowering music exist. I still get comments on my silhouette quiet often but i don't care anymore because i know that it comes from a place of ignorance and hate. I guess the 12yo me is would be so proud.
Now my friend , close your eyes and imagine a world where we ccan all coexist despite the infinite differences between us. Wouldn't that be epic? Then, let's wake up every day and work to make it our reality. '' there is no wrong way to have a body. You are perfect just as you are. You are exactly the way you are meant to be. Love yourself because you are worth loving"- Clementine ford in 'fight like a girl'
By Arij Ouechtati
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