If you've been literally anywhere on the Internet (only mild embellishment there), especially Facebook, at any point in the last five or six years, you've likely been inundated with the notion of "body-shaming," and how... it's bad. Or something. Don't do it. It makes you a bad person. Or something. The Internet will be out to get you.
So... what exactly IS "body-shaming?"
How is it defined? Well to summarize and paraphrase popular conceit, some people perhaps would define it as "being mean to somebody for the way they look." Or something. Unfortunately, that isn't correct-- that isn't what body-shaming *actually* is.
See, what "body-shaming" *actually* is, is basically, it's a person stating an observational physical attribute fact about another given person. If the fact happens to be positive because it's naturally and inherently something people actually like and want (Eminem's daughter is fit and slim), then it's fine and no one bats an eye and the very notion of "shaming" never even comes up. If the fact happens to be negative because it's naturally and inherently something people DON'T like and want (Ashley Graham is fat), then a few other people at some point, who want to make themselves appear (falsely) to be morally righteous and superior, tend to jump in and yell at the person who did the observation as a "body-shamer" and a bad person.
Now, does anyone see the problem here? I'll write it again: If the observable fact happens to be generally viewed by people as a *positive,* ("Tom you look really tall in this photo!" for example) because it happens to be a physical trait that people actually like and desire, then no one is guilty or whatever of anything and everyone goes about their day. However, if the trait is generally viewed by people as a *negative* ("Tom you look really short in this photo dude!" for example) because if happens to be a physical trait that people DO NOT like and desire, then the person making the observation is a "body-shamer."
SO.
I would argue that a person deciding to state an observable fact is not an issue of "shaming" one way or the other... it is simply stating a fact.
The problem we have here is that many peoples' poor little cerebrums can't handle observable facts or reality (we do live in the age of He-who-must-not-be-named, after all), so rather than try to actually comprehend the nature of the fact, and possibly how to change it (if it is a fact that can be changed), they attack the person making the observation; this is inherently illogical.
Attacking a person who states a fact that you don't like doesn't make the fact change. ("It is raining and wet, damn" "FUCK YOU FOR SAYING THAT" "Dude it's still raining, telling me to fuck off isn't drying us out) The fact stays the same. If you don't like the fact, then try to change it. If someone says "your long, unclipped fingernails are brittle and yellow and dirty," because they are indeed long and yellow and dirty, YOU deciding to rant on Tumblr or Facebook or whatever that they are a bad person for "body-shaming" you doesn't make your fingernails suddenly clean and trimmed and nice-- they're still nasty and long and yellow. If you don't want people to observe that fact, perhaps you should, you know... trim your fingernails. Or don't! Hey man, the choice is yours-- just like it's their choice to observe that fact.
Also, did you also notice one of the examples I just gave?
--Tom is tall/Tom is short? One of the other problems with the term "body-shaming" is that 95% of the time, it apparently only applies to females, and only other females come to their aid as a bloc of... support? Or something? But if an observation is made about a given GUY at a social gathering, let's say (ones that I myself have heard made about guys, from girls, for no reason), then they don't give a shit. Such as, "that dude over there is short and weird, and is losing a bit of his hair." Those same females who "body-shame" guys using those observable facts (short and thinning hair) get up in arms when a girl is observed as being fat or having a lot of tattoos or piercings or something similar (inb4 some moron here wrings their hands about "buh muh mean ol' mass media and fashion magazine industry that just wants girls to be pretty" bullshit).
Stop being hypocrites out there, and either demand that people observe others equally, or, better yet, if someone makes a simple statement of observable physical fact about another person, if you don't like it, tough. It's not "body-shaming," and if you think it IS "body-shaming," then your actual issue is with the underlying facts. Often, that is something that actually can be changed (personal hygiene, or being overweight/crappy fitness, for example). So, rather than whining and yelling and bemoaning their station, they have the option of trying to change, if they want to, or getting over it, if they don't. The whole attitude of "Everyone is attractive and you have to pretend so" is fucking stupid, and does not do anyone any favors. No, I am not the physical equal of Ryan Gosling or Brad Pitt in his prime or whatever, and I never will be. They are more attractive than I am. But I can still be the most attractive person I can be, and me LYING to myself that anyone who says otherwise, or anyone who says "sorry, not everyone is attractive," is a fucking douchecanoe, just makes ME a fucking idiot.
No one is arguing for being mean to people. What I am arguing for is stopping the low-IQ *lie* that people need to tell everyone that everyone is amazing and flawless and beautiful, when we aren't. There is a hierarchy here, people. Humans are animals. Not everyone is created physically equal in terms of attractiveness. The common argument against what I'm saying here is "well then, if you know the observable fact isn't a positive, then don't say anything at all." And mostly I agree with that-- but lying isn't good either, and if someone does decide to observe "hey, he's fat," then too damn bad. It is not a matter of "body-shaming." If I want to observe that Ashley Graham is a figurative hippopotamus, I'm going to. Complain all you want. *People already do this, including the anti-"body-shamers"... they simply only do it about people they think it's okay to do it about.*
TL;DR. The term "body-shaming" is fucking stupid, and makes the people who use it look whiny, preening, and stupid. Stop using it. We appreciate it. Thanks.
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