Body Shaming - The Truth

Body Shaming = mocking people for the shape or size of a persons body. This also extends to not just the shape or size, but individual features on ones body. Now this is something that most of us experienced at school, and it's often seen as something that whilst going through puberty that you are going to inevitably get. But my question is, why? Why are we almost expecting to be called names at school? Most importantly, why, when we are all adults, are we still being targeted by body shaming?

Now I am going to start off by being 100% honest with you all as always. I have judged people. I have looked at someone without knowing the facts or anything about them and thought something about their body that perhaps was not the most complimentary comment. I most certainly have never gone out of my way to speak out and make someone feel sad or insecure. Maybe this way of thinking is normal, maybe it is not, I am unsure. But yes, I have judged. I've also experienced a lifetime of people Body Shaming me.

Body Shaming comes in all forms, a bit like the body itself. There's one thing however that I think goes unnoticed and that is the fact that it is not just larger body sizes that get body shamed. There seems to be a stigma around getting bullied for a body type and that is the notion that people believe it is only overweight people that get this. Newsflash it's not! Some people struggle to understand the concept that slim body shapes and in fact, muscly body shapes get bullied and body shamed too! What we need to understand is that everyone has their idea of attractive, or perfect or whatever, and if you don't fall into the category... your a target.

It's also very often presumed that it's only females that get body shamed. I can tell you this is absolutely not the case. I did a poll across Facebook and Instagram and I would say it was 50/50 men and women! Never presume that it is just females that may feel insecure; men are too.

So that brings me onto the poll. I wanted to actually put some facts out there to see how many of us actually have been body shamed. I was actually extremely shocked.

I was expecting far less than 78%. So why is it still happening. If 78% of us have been body shamed, then surely we can all realise that this is wrong, and that we need to stop it! If you are a target of body shaming, then are you still body shaming people?

People will always judge and assume yes; but can we perhaps stop people openly being mean about others? I hope so. Its one thing to think something, but to be nasty, and to bully others for their body shape is wrong. It needs to stop.

The next time you are thinking something about someone that is perhaps a negative thought, stop to think and asses what you are thinking. Have they got a medical condition, are they depressed, are they naturally that size, have they been bullied before... you need to think of the bigger picture.

Guys, lets stop body shaming. Let's accept people are they are and support each other. Men, Women and Children do not deserve this.

With Love,

Leanne xx