The world is becoming a dangerous place to have a body, and the privileged drive to shame others for having a body is getting out of hand.
It's beyond time for body positivity to go mainstream, because all bodies, be it big, small, light, dark, tall, or petite are beautiful, no matter their shape or size, and because body shaming has not made anyone healthier or happier, ever. Women spend loads and loads of money and time on surgeries to fix themselves rather than, you know, realizing their dreams. It's not anyone's place to shame a woman's figure because it doesn't meet their own personal expectations. The whole concept of this seems unrealistic to me!
The worst part is that it's not just the society with their cruel body shaming remarks, but us too. We don't realise but when we say "I look so ugly compared to her" or "I just look so fat" or "my lips are just not the perfect shape" we are actually body shaming ourselves. Isn't the world just not enough to do that! It has become the norm to criticize aspects of our bodies as some type of bonding experience with friends – if we all hate our bodies; it somehow makes us feel connected and united. Talking about diets, gym training and what not is the new trend among the women. The problem isn’t the food. The problem is that we’ve been taught that how we look is more important than who we truly are.
Whatever may be our size, we are body shamed no matter what, be it short, tall, fat thin, blah blah blah. If we are thin then we are call "FLAT", "MALNOURISHED". If we are obese then trust me people make us believe that we are the worst creature on this planet. Due to this, specially women work their asses off to fit in the so called term "perfect body". We are not taught to hate our bodies, but it's the society who has taught it to us indefinitely. When will we understand that our worth is not dependent on the number we see on the scale?
The fashion industry seriously needs to wake up its high time now. Not everyone is a size 2, 6 or 8 for that matter. Clothes are basically for everyone to wear they why is the fashion industries betraying the other half of the society. We're all differently built, then why are so many clothes made exclusively for thinner bodies? When we try on clothes that are made to fit only figure we're told that we don't measure up for the clothes we preferred to try on. And though measurements are simply numbers, their impact on our self-worth is often disappointing. Its haunts us in the day dream too.
To live in a world where women are regarded as people and not decoration, we need to stop making comments on other women’s appearance as though it is our right to do so.
Written by Navya Vijay
A crazy dreamer bibliophile, budding writer!
The worst part is that it's not just the society with their cruel body shaming remarks, but us too. We don't realise but when we say "I look so ugly compared to her" or "I just look so fat" or "my lips are just not the perfect shape" we are actually body shaming ourselves. Isn't the world just not enough to do that! It has become the norm to criticize aspects of our bodies as some type of bonding experience with friends – if we all hate our bodies; it somehow makes us feel connected and united. Talking about diets, gym training and what not is the new trend among the women. The problem isn’t the food. The problem is that we’ve been taught that how we look is more important than who we truly are.
The fashion industry seriously needs to wake up its high time now. Not everyone is a size 2, 6 or 8 for that matter. Clothes are basically for everyone to wear they why is the fashion industries betraying the other half of the society. We're all differently built, then why are so many clothes made exclusively for thinner bodies? When we try on clothes that are made to fit only figure we're told that we don't measure up for the clothes we preferred to try on. And though measurements are simply numbers, their impact on our self-worth is often disappointing. Its haunts us in the day dream too.
To live in a world where women are regarded as people and not decoration, we need to stop making comments on other women’s appearance as though it is our right to do so.
Only when we're able to stop body-shaming everyone, will we move on from comparing ourselves to ridiculously unrealistic standards made by the society.
Written by Navya Vijay
A crazy dreamer bibliophile, budding writer!