For advertising information visit www.samplerpublications.com or call 859.225.4466 | January 2015
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Fat shaming will
not cause an
overweight or
obese person to
become ‘more
motivated’ to
transform into a
thinner body. In
fact, fat shaming
seemingly
has the exact
opposite effect.
Body Acceptance Vs Body Shaming
By Angela S. Hoover,
Staff Writer
In our society, none of us can avoid
messages about what the ideal or
‘perfect’ body for a man or woman
is. If only it were so simple. People
come in different sizes comprised of
different heights and bone widths.
Certain parts are endowed as they
are. These are things that cannot be
changed through lifestyle choices.
Yet many men and women, inundated with messages of perfect body
standards feel inadequate. Some
even feel shame over their perceived
body flaws that fail to fit this beauty
standard.
Added to all these feelings of
inadequacy that many feel, there is
the phenomenon of body shaming.
People body shame others, but also
body shame themselves so for some
individuals there truly is no sanctuary
of positive messages. Body shaming
can fall into one of two categories:
Negative attacks of others or ‘positive’
well intentioned attempts at body
empowerment that are equally as
damaging. Negative body shaming is
insulting and overly critical of others’
appearance, whereas ‘positive’ body
shaming is like a backhanded insult.
The ‘positive’ body shaming aims to
empower those who do not fall in line
with the common beauty standard,
but do so by insulting other body
types. This brand of body shaming is
usually exclusively acted out as Thin
Shaming or Skinny Shaming and
is recognizable by statements like:
Real women have curves, or songs
like “All About That Bass.” Negative
body shaming is seen with both Thin
Shaming and Fat Shaming, but is
much more prevalent in Fat Shaming.
Needless to say, all this body shaming – whether negative or positive, or
against the fat or the skinny person
– is not helpful. Although it is wonderful to practice and cultivate body
acceptance for whatever body you
have, it should not require