BODY SHAMING

IT Project

STUDENT’S NAME: AVIRAL

THE ICFAI UNIVERSITY

DEHRADUN
 Table of content
Table of content……………………………………………………I
Abstract……………………………………………………………..II

1. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1. What is Body Shaming?

1.2. Platform

2. CHAPTER TWO: WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW

2.1. How it affects people

2.2. Statistics

2.3. How to overcome?

3. CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION

3.1. What can we do?

1
 1. Introduction

1.1 What is Body Shaming?

Body shaming means shaming someone for having a particular body type. It can also

mean discriminating against a particular body type.

Body shaming and fat shaming is the same as bullying, whether it be in person, or

online. It is the act or practice of negatively judging someone based on their physical

appearance. Typically, people are body shamed when they appear overweight or

underweight or don’t fit society’s view of “thin and beautiful”. 1 The issue of body-

shaming is seen to be one that affects all society, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender,

sexuality, disability, body size and shape. We often hear the following sentences in

our day to day life.

“She is too skinny! She might get carried away with the wind.”

“She’s so small! Doesn’t she get food at home?!”

“He has no beard. What is he? 8?”

“Look at that beard! What is he? A caveman?”

This is exactly what body shaming is.

It can happen even with a child who is eight years of age and also with a grown up

adult.

1
[Link]

2
 1.2 Platform

Body shaming can happen almost everywhere in some way or the other when you are

surrounded by people. People usually make comments about each other and

sometimes they do this even without realising it. This is because it has become a habit

to make fun and have a laugh by mocking someone for their body types. It can

happen when you are with your friends or when you are giving a speech in front of an

audience or simply sitting, minding your own business. There is no particular place or

occasion or time for body shaming.

But body shaming is an all-time high due to social media.

People think a lot of things and social media has provided them with a platform

to write down whatever they think is “right” with no filter to the things sprouting in

their minds.

And every single hate comment is one too many. It is not a normal result of posting a

picture on the internet, it is an age-old tradition of other people needing to feel in

control of others bodies.2

2. What we need to know

2.1 How it affects people

Body shaming is humiliating, with often painful, long-term consequences. It mocks

and stigmatizes its victims, tearing down self-respect and perpetuating the harmful

2
[Link]

3
idea that our unique physical appearance should be compared to air brushed notions

of “perfect”.

While body shaming, in itself, is not a crime, there are circumstances in which

invading one’s privacy to accomplish it can be.

People have even developed eating disorders trying to fit in that “perfect” body type.

Disorders like bulimia and anorexia have become more common. Starving to lose

weight is also common. People have developed a poor self-body image due to body

shaming.

In addition, women with high levels of body shame report higher amounts of

infections, poorer overall health, and more frequent digestive trouble and headaches.

Social anxiety often result from a sense of rejection regarding weight or physical

attributes.3

2.2 Statistics

Body-shaming statistics indicate that 94 percent of teenage girls have been body

shamed. However, the practice isn’t exclusive to the female gender. Teen boys and

men are subjected to thoughtless opinions and hurtful comments made as well.

Nearly 65 percent of teen boys reported having been body shamed.4

89% of girls have dieted by age 17. 15% of young women have disordered eating.

42% of girls in grades 1-3 want to lose weight. 45% of boys and girls in grades 3-6

want to be thinner. 51% of 9 and 10 year old girls say they feel better about

3
[Link]
4
[Link]

4
themselves when they are dieting. 81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat. 9% of

nine year olds have vomited to lose weight.5

These are alarming facts .Children at such a young age have started worrying about

their body. This clearly indicates how body shaming can affect the mind of people.

Reports have also shown that friends, sisters, and even brothers were also some of

the major sources of body shame.

2.3 How to overcome Body Shaming?

It is not a one day task to overcome years of body shaming. But the following few

methods can surely speed-up the process.

a. Surrounding oneself with body positive social media feeds. This will keep you

away from the negativity on the net and will also promote being healthy and

eating healthy.

b. Believing that you can love your body as it is.

One of the most important factors in determining how far you can go is how

far you’re open to going. If you listen to those voices that say you can’t do

things, then not only is the end goal out of reach, but progress is as well. 6

c. Come out from hiding.

If you feel shame about your body, you may find ways to hide yourself. One

can try pushing the comfort zone a little at a time. Take small steps, pay

attention to how you feel, and see if you want to continue to move further and

further out of your comfort zone.

5
[Link]
6
[Link]

5
d. Consider that you’ve been wrong.

It is easy to confirm already solidified beliefs about yourself. The belief that

your body is not good enough as it is feels like the truth, so it’s easy to find

evidence in your day-to-day to confirm what you currently believe. Our brains

absorb information that fits our current beliefs, and often we can’t

acknowledge data that might prove us wrong. Unless you intentionally open up

to the possibility that you’ve been wrong about your body not being good

enough as it is, no amount of body-positive messages or positive self-talk will

have a big impact on you.

e. Create an inner-supporter.

Once you’re aware of your critical thoughts and how deeply you’re harming

yourself with them, you might want to stop doing this to yourself. One way to

stop doing this is to create an inner-supportive part of yourself to step in when

your inner-bully is trying to steal the show.

3. Conclusion
6
3.1 What can we do?

Mainstream and social media may often bear the brunt of criticism for creating

unrealistic body standards for men and women of all ages, but as we learned,

criticism about weight or appearance also comes from people in their personal lives.

More than just comments and criticism from their parents and significant others,

people we polled told us their bosses, colleagues, and even friends left them feeling

worse about their bodies. We need to stop judging particular body types and be

more accepting of people and their bodies. It has already been proven that body

shaming affects the minds of people in more ways than we know. It’s good to want to

be more healthy and fit. But that is for the people themselves to decide. It should not

be forced upon a person. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce the stigma surrounding

the toxic (and sometimes digitally manipulated) images of “beauty” seen online and in

magazines today. Promoting healthy standards of living rather than those based on

an idealized body image could help millions of men and women across the country

from feeling the negative emotions associated with body shaming.