Skinny-shaming is just as bad as fat-shaming

Skinny-shaming+is+just+as+bad+as+fat-shaming

With the ever-increasing popularity of the internet, new ideas and movements can easily travel and spread to others with just the click of a button.

A movement that has become quite popular and rather controversial within the past few years is often referred to as the “body positivity movement.”

This movement more often than not showcases overweight women, telling them to love themselves and be proud of who they are and not to take criticism from anyone who says different.

Fantastic.

These women SHOULD love themselves and take pride in being body confident. However, a popular phrase has appeared out of this movement.

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“Bones are for dogs”? What happened to the body positivity? This isn’t the only example of skinny-shaming out there, either.

What’s even worse about calling someone out on this is the absolute denial that comes with it. It is not right to make fun of anyone’s body type. When promoting body positivity, you need to promote ALL bodies. It is not fat-shaming that needs to be addressed by the body positive movement; it is body shaming in general.

We all know that fat-shaming is wrong. No one should be disadvantaged or ridiculed for their weight. In recent years, high-profile cases of “fattism”, from Karl Lagerfeld to Abercrombie & Fitch, have caused public outrage. But what about the flipside: why is skinny-shaming okay, if fat-shaming is not?

Skinny-shaming has now become the new fat-shaming, and I don’t understand how it can be a horrible ordeal to do one, but there are no consequences for the other. “Boney” women may not be able to help their appearance, just as overweight women. So why is it suddenly fine to make rude remarks towards a slimmer woman?

Often times, overweight women who ridicule thin women receive praise and compliments. But if a thin woman were to do that to an overweight woman, the backlash would be awful. How is that fair? If you want bigger bodies to be celebrated, focus on bringing them up, not bringing others down.

So yes, skinny-shaming exists, and it needs to be ended, just as fat-shaming does.

“Real women” are not just the women with curves. “Real women” are not just the women whose ribs show. “Real women” are simply that – women.

It needs to become taboo to shame anyone for how their body appears. If you are happy, healthy, and confident in your body then you shouldn’t need to make fun of anyone in the first place. If we want to curb body-hate, we cannot participate in body hate.

17aweber@usd489.com