This needs to stop!
Body shaming is harmful and degrading, whether it’s done by a friend or one’s parents. Unless you are of a certain weight and look a certain way that is making you prone to disease and sickness, only then is it okay for someone to bring up the issue. I am surrounded by people who believe that being thin is beautiful and being plump is unattractive. If I had a dirham for every time someone told me that I’d look prettier if I lost weight, I’d be rolling in millions! I think society has an obsession with being thin and those who do not fit the norm are made to feel unaccepted and unattractive. Only a certain section of society is thin, yet shops in malls seem to only have smaller sizes. Fashion houses want to create an image and make their clothes seem exclusively for people who are thinner. I think body shaming should stop. It is not constructive in anyway. It makes people feel awful about themselves. Everyone is beautiful and no one can dictate what someone should and should not look like.
From Ms Alia M.
Dubai
Constructive grooming?
Body shaming is not helpful to anyone — that is why it’s called ‘shaming’. Otherwise, it would have been referred to as ‘constructive grooming’.
From Mr Imdad Ali Shah
Dubai
It can be helpful
Body shaming can be taken as bullying or as constructive criticism, depending on how you discuss the issue with someone. I truly do believe that a person should be free to do what they want, but if someone calls you out on it for your own betterment, and if you don’t have a health issue that prevents you from losing weight, it shouldn’t be taken as body shaming. People attempting to stop you from pursuing an unhealthy lifestyle isn’t bullying. At the end of the day, it’s not healthy and it’s not the kind of lifestyle we should condone, because that causes serious issues in the long run. It’s not at all healthy to just eat what you want, when you’re physically capable of being fit by eating right and exercising, if you have the time.
From Ms Yuvika Bhatia
Dubai
It hurts
Shaming or making fun of someone can never be constructive because it would hurt the person a lot, instead of doing any good. On the other hand, constructive criticism, delivered in a nice way that is not sarcastic, can help people to see things from a different perspective and can lead to change, if the person wishes it.
From Ms Iva Dostalova
Czech Republic
Don’t confuse issues
Can body shaming and constructive criticism be compared? I don’t think so. But sadly, criticism is being confused with body shaming and other verbal attacks. This does not warrant that they should be seriously equated with each other. Body shaming, whether one takes it well or not, is a form of bullying.
From Mr Mohammed Ali
Dubai
Can’t pass such comments
No, the word ‘shaming’ in ‘body shaming’ takes away any consideration of constructive criticism. Regardless of whether you’re perceived as too thin or too large in someone else’s eyes or society’s standards, people have absolutely no right to pass comments and shame on you or your body. Whether it’s a family member or a random stranger, such shaming can never be considered ‘constructive criticism’ in my eyes. While people think they have good intentions, such as displaying concern when passing comments about one’s body, they fail to understand the negative implications it can have on one’s self-esteem and overall mental wellbeing. If people are truly concerned, there is a way to voice such opinions respectfully, and with sensitivity, without resorting to shaming.
From Ms Aroushi Malhotra
Dubai
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