Body Shaming Is A Form Of Cyber Bullying.
There is a problem with social media. When we publish something to the internet, we open ourselves to kudos and to criticism. This is especially true when the person involved has a public persona. Unfortunately, the criticism is not always constructive. More often it is destructive when followers attack the person for a perceived physical flaw.
Every year, every decade the ideal body shape and persona changes. Unfortunately, this leads to the idea that everyone needs to match that look. I can tell you that I am never going to have that sleek sameness to match the current look.
People need to realize that we come in so many different sizes, shapes, and skin tones. For some of us, our hair is never going to be tamed and will always have a mind of its own. I am never going to have a flat stomach. I have never had a flat stomach, even when I was a kid.
When people make body shaming comments, they are projecting their insecurities in reference to their bodies onto the person they are looking at. Some of these comments are hurtful and spiteful. It’s as if we cannot accept ourselves for who we are.
Every time a person makes a stinging comment, they are bullying the person who posted the photo. Refusing to accept a person for who they are and making comments about their flaws is bullying. It is a form of cyber bullying because it takes place on the internet.
We don’t need to project our insecurities on other people. We don’t need to share those snarky comments in the comment sections because when one person does it, it gives permission to others to do it and pretty soon you have a group of people circling the person picking at them like a group of sharks attacking the raw meat in the water.
We need to quit bullying people for not meeting this imagined standard and we should follow my grandmother’s advice “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. There is no excuse for participating in cyberbullying. Instead of looking for what is wrong, look at what they did right and take those steps towards accepting everyone for who they are.
Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear.
