Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Photo by Jennifer Burk on Unsplash
Bodyshaming is a phenomenon where people comment negatively on others’ appearance or body size. This practice is harmful and can cause severe mental and emotional trauma and lead to eating disorders, depression, and other mental health problems.
In India, body shaming is widespread and is affecting people of all ages, genders, classes, and cultures. Women and men both face these issues and are negatively impacted by the unrealistic beauty standards set by society. People are continuously judging and criticizing others based on their physical appearance, weight, and body shape, which often leads to low self-esteem, inferiority complex, and many psychological issues.
One of the most common forms of body shaming in India is centered around weight issues. Even with people with healthy body weight are criticized for their body size, and they are forced to live under societal pressure to be thin regardless of their physical health. In many cases, young girls and women are especially susceptible to this issue and are encouraged to engage in extreme diets or exercise routines, which might lead to severe consequences in the long run. The impact of body shaming also affects men as most diets idealize the lean and muscular body type. So-called “skinny shaming” and “fat guy” jokes are all prevalent stoops in today’s terms. ” DON’T EAT SO MUCH, YOU WILL BECOME FATTER , THERE WILL BE HURDLE IN GETTING YOU MARRIED LATER” are some of the common comments we generally get to hear in an indian household.
The threat of social stigmatization on physical appearance is now promoted through social media influencers, celebrity worship, and pop culture. It is now affecting vulnerable populations, teenagers, and children in India. They feel pressured from social media influencers, peer groups, and fitting-in against the portrayal of unrealistic body images.
To resolve this issue, there needs to be an essential change in the mindset of society, where everyone should learn to appreciate others for who they are and promote healthy living and fitness, no matter their shapes or sizes. People also need to understand that everyone has different body types and it’s important to reject unrealistic beauty standards set by society and encourage self-love, body positivity, and acceptance for all shapes and sizes. Campaigns against body shaming and organizations promoting body positivity are much needed in India and critical in reducing the harm from body shaming.
Jessica Shah is a freelance writer who always had a strong enthusiasm for being able to influence the masses by becoming a voice. She is a Feminist who hereby , strives to generate equality , upliftment and read more...
This post has published with none or minimal editorial intervention. Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
Please enter your email address