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Body shaming, the act of humiliating someone for their size, can happen to anyone. However, equating Fat and slim is what people have come to disagree with.
Statements about someone’s body shape shouldn’t be taken as either a compliment or an insult. Calling someone slim is just as bad as calling someone fat, even though slim is considered to be a compliment and fat is considered inappropriate. This is unfair. Both are body shaming and both can be hurtful.
Why is calling somebody fat usually taken as an insult? It’s because people in the media are often thin and portrayed as having that “perfect body.” They are usually very skinny. The average model or mannequin wears a size extra small or small, which sends the message that everyone should look like this and if you don’t then your body is bad.
However, that “perfect body type” doesn’t exist; it’s unattainable for so many people. In most cases, the models in magazines are Photoshopped, so the people in those magazines don’t even have that body; it’s almost always fake.
Society has constructed this idea of what it means to be beautiful. However, beauty is not a yes or no question that is determined by the media. You are only beautiful when you can believe it yourself because your self-worth can only come from within. You start accepting yourself when you let go of needing the validation of others and needing somebody else to compliment you in order to feel good about yourself.
Being fat is most often associated with being lazy and not taking care of yourself, while being thin is associated with eating right and exercising, but this is not always the case. Some people are naturally bigger than others are, and shaming them for that isn’t acceptable. For some, it is completely out of their control. There is nothing wrong with being fat or skinny. As long as you are healthy, your body is fine. We need to destigmatize the word fat and take away this idea that being fat and being beautiful are two different things because you can be both.
Making a comment about somebody’s body shape is not okay. Regardless of their size, any comments will most likely make them feel insecure. It really affects a person’s self-confidence to be told about their body size. So think twice before you comment on someone’s body shape.
When people comment on my body, whether it’s good or bad, I still feel self-conscious. I see this happening to my peers as well. Being called skinny my entire life has not made me feel more confident. If anything, it has put pressure on me to remain skinny. No matter what, a judgmental comment about someone’s body will usually have negative effects.
Whether you call someone skinny or fat, body shaming is not okay. It is a constant reminder about being different. Skinny is not a compliment and fat is not an insult. Body size is merely an observation that distinguishes body type like being a mesomorph, an endomorph or an ectomorph. Commenting on whether a person is skinny or fat, especially if it is hurtful, is considered a form of bullying, and should not be tolerated. So choose your words wisely.