Body shaming. What is it? Simply put, it is the act of putting down women because of the way their body looks. This is done to both large and small body types. Women are told that they are too fat to ever get a man, or too skinny and not enough of a woman. Fat people are called ugly. Skinny girls are stereotyped as mean. People are judged on their body types.
I have always been skinny, and it affects the way people treat me just as much as it would if I was heavy. People say things like, "Oh you must starve yourself to stay in those size zeros." (Anyone who has ever seen me eat will tell you that's not true. I put some of the guys to shame at my job with how much food I eat on my lunch break). I have heard things like "You have the body of a boy, there's nothing womanly about you." Yeah, okay.
This weekend, while running the Shamrock 8K I overheard a conversation between 2 women. I'm going to refer to them as A and B.
A: So did you know that (some girl's name I don't remember) is running this?
B: No, her?
A: Yeah. I don't know how she runs with her body.
B: What do you mean?
A: She's such an exaggerated pear shape. Her thighs and butt are massive! And she doesn't run/walk either. She flat out runs. I think she thinks she's trying to be inspiring, but actually it's just gross. And it has to be bad on her knees.
I was shocked at what I was hearing. I didn't even know the woman they were talking about, but running any distance is inspiring, regardless of size. I had respect for this woman I had never even met. She probably gets a lot of criticism from people like those women, but she obviously keeps on running.
You know what is beautiful to me? Strong, healthy, confident women. Women who are trying to get themselves in shape. Women who don't play into their stereotype.
Another instance happened at my college. We have a "Crushes" page where people can send in the names of people anonymously and sometimes it turns into a relationship advice type thing. A few weeks ago, someone submitted something that said (I'm foggy on exactly what, and I can't find the post, but this is as close as I remember), "Skinny girls step aside. No man wants a girl that's skin and bones. We are looking for a real woman with curves." I was shocked that they would even post something that rude, but what really shocked me is how many guys (and girls!) were commenting and agreeing with him!
Women already suffer from insecurities as it is. It doesn't help when everyone from our peers, to the beauty industry, to clothing companies, to the internet is telling us that no body shape is acceptable. If you're skinny you must be unhealthy and hate fat people. If you're fat you must be lazy and eat all the time.
I say we stop the shame. Ignore the haters and do what feels good for you. If you're unhappy with how you feel or look, change it. If you're happy, then don't listen to what other people say. The only thing that matters is that you are happy with yourself.
Join me in the effort to #stopbodyshaming and don't judge women by their body size or shape. If they are happy, let them be.
Sometimes I think skinny people get body shamed the worst! My husband is really tall and really thin - he's always been that way. The comments people make to him about it are astounding. For some reason people seem to know that it's inappropriate to say things about people who are overweight, but don't get that it's equally inappropriate to talk about people who are underweight.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe you overheard that conversation at the race. Running races taught me very quickly that runners come in all shapes and sizes, and that that doesn't really correlate to finishing time. Honestly they sound a little bitter and jealous!