Fat Shaming and Body Shaming

 

End body shaming

 

In the midst of women empowerment with the #MeToo movement, it’s disappointing to learn that it’s our closest friends and family that are using their words to make women feel badly about themselves.

 

Although some people may do this intentionally, there are those that might be unaware of how their words are impacting others.

 

5 Ways to be self-aware of online body shaming

 

1. If you wouldn’t say it offline, it doesn’t belong online. Being called fat or chunky is never polite.

2. There’s a difference between clever and cruel — jokes (especially those concerning body types) can be misconstrued on social media.

3. If your friend (or family member) is asking for an opinion about their appearance, especially if it’s on social media, be mindful with your comments.

4. Remind yourself there are filters, photoshop and more on social media. People refer to Facebook as Fakebook for a reason. Not everything or everyone is what it appears to be. Stop believing in perfection. Talk to your teens about this too.

5. Everyone is unique. From our personalities to our bodies, but we have one commonality — words can hurt especially when they are aimed at us from ones we love. Let’s use our keystrokes with care and be upstanders when we witness digital discourse.

 

In the Body Shamed survey it concluded that the mocking Americans endure over their weight or appearance mainly comes from the people in their personal lives. Isn’t it time we end this body bashing cyber-trash?

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Contact Sue Scheff for media interviews.