Body shaming is making inappropriate comments or jokes about a person’s body shape. It is typical in Nigeria to hear comments like, you are fat, you are thin and people would never really fail at rubbing it in your face.
Although most people just see it as being factual, women on the other hand who are emotionally driven do not see it as such. However, anyhow you see it does and say it does not actually make it right.
People (Adults especially) should know when to speak or comment and when not to. Although not everyone is emotionally intelligent to be able to discern, it is important that we are always kind and exercise caution with our words to people.
Sometimes our words could really hurt people, and some could hold it in for years. Some common words which are very sensitive and could infer body shaming are ” You are so fat” “You are so slim” “Why does your toe look a certain way” and “If my body was like that I would not step out of my house”.All these are comments which are very sensitive and could be offensive that most people don’t really want to hear. In some cases, it even brings about unsolicited advice and we wonder why people (especially women) are going about with Brazilian Butt Lifts(BBL) mostly done by low-budget doctors. In Lagos currently, the most requested surgical procedure is the Brazilian Butt lift. Yes, people should be responsible for their actions but our negative words sometimes go a long way in pushing people to make irrational decisions. Some people can even afford to make their bodies look better to feel better about themselves. What about those who cannot afford to carve their bodies to how they would like it? Most of these people just end up Depressed or even worse, take their own life over a silly comment someone made about their body.
It is always important to be comfortable in your own body. Own it, be comfortable about it, and be proud of it. So, no matter what anyone really says it does not get to or tamper with your self-esteem as a person. Might be a hard process for some but it is a journey that requires one step at a time. Loving yourself over what anyone thinks and utters. It is a survival skill in a country like Nigeria where Body shaming is a norm and it is classified as being told the “Truth”. Body shaming does not always come from a third party. It could be you, speaking negatively about your own appearance, making silly comments about how you look. Whether a person is fat or slim, Short or Tall, Beautiful or ugly should not even matter. It should never be anyone’s business. We were all created beautifully and uniquely and are all beautiful in our own way. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder they say, so why do we allow society to create unrealistic beauty standards for us? Why do we aim to be like Instagram models who have applied lots of makeup and gone through lots of editing of course?
