Body Shaming Is Not Okay

So, a few days ago I was on Twitter and someone posted a screenshot of a post a certain lady had put on her Facebook page. In the post, she shared a nude picture of herself and her caption was about how she loves herself and things along that line. Now, this lady is obese. We know it and I'm pretty sure she does too. Some people lovingly pointed out that she should think about getting some help while some proceeded to insult and laugh at her. When these people were criticised by others, they immediately defended themselves stating that they were just concerned about her health.That really made me mad.

If they were truly concerned about her health, they could have reached out to her. After all, her Facebook name was there for everyone to see.  No doubt, being obese or underweight isn't healthy at all for anyone. But is laughing at someone on social media really going to help that person get the help they need?  Some might say that it's just banter and it's not that deep. But you can't be doing banter with someone else's life abeg. You don't know the mental state of the person. What if that one 'joke' is what pushes a person over the edge?  Imagine that lady going on Twitter and reading some of the mean comments. All she wanted to do was love herself.

It's really appalling that even children are body shamed. I remember being in grade 3 and going to the school nurse as I had a tummy ache. There was another lady in the school clinic who decided that it was okay to be mean to me and kept on calling me fat. I don't remember the woman's face anymore but I do remember her words. And even though it was over ten years ago, it still hurts. I would hate to have that sort of effect on another human being. 

Another thing is how some women (and men) are mocked about their body parts. Things that are really beyond their control. And when these people decide to get plastic surgery then everyone says they're fake and don't love themselves. It's so messed up.

We've probably all body shamed someone else in the past even if it was unintentional. This is just another reminder that we need to make a conscious effort to stop doing this. Fat shaming, skinny shaming and all that should not be tolerated at all. We need to do better as a society. xx

So, a few days ago I was on Twitter and someone posted a screenshot of a post a certain lady had put on her Facebook page. In the post, she shared a nude picture of herself and her caption was about how she loves herself and things along that line. Now, this lady is obese. We know it and I'm pretty sure she does too. Some people lovingly pointed out that she should think about getting some help while some proceeded to insult and laugh at her. When these people were criticised by others, they immediately defended themselves stating that they were just concerned about her health.That really made me mad.

If they were truly concerned about her health, they could have reached out to her. After all, her Facebook name was there for everyone to see.  No doubt, being obese or underweight isn't healthy at all for anyone. But is laughing at someone on social media really going to help that person get the help they need?  Some might say that it's just banter and it's not that deep. But you can't be doing banter with someone else's life abeg. You don't know the mental state of the person. What if that one 'joke' is what pushes a person over the edge?  Imagine that lady going on Twitter and reading some of the mean comments. All she wanted to do was love herself.

It's really appalling that even children are body shamed. I remember being in grade 3 and going to the school nurse as I had a tummy ache. There was another lady in the school clinic who decided that it was okay to be mean to me and kept on calling me fat. I don't remember the woman's face anymore but I do remember her words. And even though it was over ten years ago, it still hurts. I would hate to have that sort of effect on another human being. 

Another thing is how some women (and men) are mocked about their body parts. Things that are really beyond their control. And when these people decide to get plastic surgery then everyone says they're fake and don't love themselves. It's so messed up.

We've probably all body shamed someone else in the past even if it was unintentional. This is just another reminder that we need to make a conscious effort to stop doing this. Fat shaming, skinny shaming and all that should not be tolerated at all. We need to do better as a society. xx