Why are people against body shaming, body shaming?

[JessTheMess]

I was reading comments on an article about Fashion Week, and people were complaining that the models were skinny and they should have more "real" bodies..If you want people to accept plus sizes and curves, why can't they accept skinny? I get you want a variety of models, but there are actually skinny people out there. Stop making skinny people feel bad for being skinny. Just because you have thick thighs, or belly fat, or a curvy body, doesn't mean you're more of a woman than a person with boney hips and skinny legs. I'm all for body positvity, but we can't just glory one type of body by shaming the other type. All of us have great bodies, whether you're skinny or curvy, or short, or tall. Love yourself and everyone else.

[RainbowFanGirl]

They're not "body shaming" in a sense. As one person said, they want more representation for other body types. Most models are skinny, and they just want to see more plus sized and curvy models. Fat people need clothes and want to look cute too.

But you're right. Nobody should be body shamed, and skinny people ARE in fact shamed more in a sense. Basically, we should stop shaming everyone for their body, and help overweight people drop some pounds.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Oh, and every woman is "real".

[Noxifer626]

It's not very hard, really:
Shaming overweight people: Wrong.
Shaming skinny people: Wrong.
Having your preference: Okay.
Enforcing that preference over everybody: Wrong.
Badmouthing everyone who doesn't cater to that preference: Wrong.

[RachelBrigs]

This has never been summed up so well. Especially by a 15 year old guy.

[Noxifer626]

Thanks.

[aliencreature]

there's no such thing as body shaming. there's just preferences. and people only criticize preferences when you prefer something they aren't.

this has never happened in the history of mankind (at least not for someones body shape):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTjtXswrKso

people have impaled each other on spikes, or sawed each other in half upside down and let the blood drain out, but no one has ever gathered in crowds and yelled, "shame!" at someone because of how their body looks. never. but we shame each other for choices all the time.

such as what religion you choose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOCD_T9Qqpc

or who you choose to listen to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iARHCxAMAO0

and its ultimately the hypocrites who make the biggest fuss about body shaming who do the most shaming themselves. in the words of edmund burke, “It is a general popular error to imagine the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare.” if you don't know who that is look it up.

[Darkfairie17]

While I do agree that there is skinny shaming that does go on that's not right either. I know several people who are naturally thin so it is in fact a body type. I think the problem lies not with the fact that there are skinny models. But that there seems to only be one body type that is featured in most ads.

I'd like to see more of a variety in both men and women's fashion. People come in all different shapes and sizes, so why can't models?

I also don't see the body positive movement as being pro-obesity. No one is saying you need to scarf down 1 million cheeseburgers in a single sitting. It's essentially a movement brought on to help people feel good about themselves and take care of their mental health in a world that has taught everyone to hate themselves.

I see so many women and men who hate themselves and don't think they are worthy of anything because of their perceived flaws. It breaks my heart when I hear a skinny girl call herself fat and refuse to eat or skip meals. THAT is why we need more variety in the industry.

When we feel good about ourselves, we will naturally do things to care for ourselves. If we feel crappy about ourselves, I think people who hate themselves are more inclined to stay home and hide. If you are happy with yourself, you are more likely to go outside and enjoy your life. Naturally that means moving more, which is better for overall health.

[MichelleJustAsking]

I think the underlying issue really isn't shaming the body, but shaming the individual who doesn't take care of their body through proper health and nutrition... because a person doesn't get fat by respecting their body, they get fat by being lazy and neglecting it. More often than not, a person who is fat, isn't fat because it's "natural" or "healthy"... it's because they don't take care of themselves and THAT is not something that should be celebrated or ingrained in our brains to equate "It's natural! It's you! Go you! You're beautiful how you are!" Because, that is a lie masked with good intentions. Disrespecting your body is NEVER beautiful or okay... whether you are fat because you are lazy, or you are skinny due to an eating disorder.

Take care of your health first and THEN you can accept your body for how it's REALLY meant to be and acknowledge what you can't fix (stretch marks/wide hips from childbirth... large bones... etc...)

Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, but that should be measured against health habits; NOT physical size.

[PonyCar]

I'm 100% in this boat. Both ends of the spectrum on this issue cause health problems. The fact that they're glorified in any way (for any reason) adds to rising (avoidable) healthcare costs across the board and puts stress on social systems that are already ridiculously understaffed/underfunded. People don't understand (yet) what having more than 50% of total population of a generation develop diabetes will do to the healthcare system, but they will. The crisis is coming.

[AdamThomas]

We don't all have great bodies though. All this talk of accepting ourselves the way we are only encourages laziness and weakness.

I used to be skinny, not to the point of being anorexic but I was definitely underweight with ribs and collar bones poking out. Rather than accept myself for who I was and complaining about people calling me skinny, I did something about it. I sorted out my diet and started lifting weights.

Over the next few years I built a lot of muscle, and I put on 70lbs. I got a bit of belly fat but not a huge amount, I was measured at about 18% bodyfat which isn't that bad. I could easily have made excuses and just acccepted it and loved my belly fat, but instead I chose to cut out junk food and sugar and alcohol. I'm now at around 12% bodyfat with a decent amount of muscle. I'm more interested in strength and fitness than looks, but carrying excess weight in the form of fat is no good so I got rid of it.

So fuck body acceptance, I think self-improvment and fitness should be promoted instead of all this whining and complaining. It takes discipline and hard work, sure, but anybody can do it if they try. I hear fully-able bodied people complain about their genetics holding them back, and then I see disabled people with prosthetic legs and wheelchairs in amazing shape, and I think excuses are pathetic. Very few people have genuine illnesses and conditions that prevent them from getting in shape.

[JensonStatement]

People now want food and dick. It started wth an crazy group of fat women. They just wanted a solution for stay eating and still getting dick.
On the other hand. Kim K and her family just made a trend which everybody is accepting now. All of this just happened at the same time or in a close time period so nobody knows what they want.
Those Big and Beautiful is a weird one because there are people cursed with a sickness which makes them fat.
There are also people who are skinny. My therapist is one and she is beautiful.
There are people who are curvy and have thigh and ass.
There are people who are endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph (men)
There are short people
There are tall people
There are average people
There are people...
But media fucked up and a little amount of people messed up for everyone.
Feminists messed up for women
Rap and music messed up for men.
Now everybody has a misintepretated image. That's why there's shaming. People think they have a good image and evryother must die but they don't have.

Fat acceptance can be but on a certain level. Because people want to eat and get dick by using the law they don't know what is healthy or not.
You people support this die hard but if those people die hard by obese and diabetes they will wondering why... Now this is why. People don't care about being healthy anymore but just being someone from TV or the internet.

People on instagram promoting having ass right now. Those people being damn thin but having ass like three times their width. It's a media thing.

It's just to make people insecured and buying their products.

[Prettygurl12]

To make one end of the spectrum feel better you have to make the other feel worse. It's like humanly impossible to make them both feel supported. To say one is good is to say the other is bad. Human culture likes opposites. If one is acceptable the other must then be unacceptable. If one is right, the other must then be wrong. That's the culture for you.

Even if you genuinely don't see a issue with either, society will view your support of one as a dislike of the other. And then society will shit a cow if you dare defend both sides at once lol

It's impossible, it seems, for society to comprehend acceptance of two opposite things.

[CHARismatic110]

Society is currently shitting cows all over my current Take on this issue lol. This answer is legit. Heaven forbid you want everyone to be accepted.

[Anonymous]

Body shaming is the stupidest thing ever. You don't have to like the way someone looks, but it's none of your business. You can just keep your mouth shut of you have nothing good to say. Body shaming will only make things worse. Fat person will feel like shit, and that will cause stress and they'll be too ashamed to go out there and work out. Same will happen to a skinny person. Being ashamed and stressed will not help anyone lose or gain weight.
So many things can affect our bodies: illnesses, medication, stress... eating too little or too much is often but not always the reason.
I agree with take owner. We can't glory only one body type. In order for all of us to feel accepted, all body types should be presented positively. We shouldn't promote, but accept. When people feel accepted, they feel they can do anything and get support. That would be ideal to someone who want to lose weight.

[DonyChicago]

So right !

[Maya-Vow]

This is something people have been pushing for a lot and really they don't know how to do anything right. Of course body acceptance is great, but sometimes body shaming is ok.

What I mean is, body shaming is good when the person is fat or literally bones when they're being shamed. It helps them try to achieve a better figure.

The biggest problem is that nowadays people are just saying that being fat is healthy. That's just retarded. And since being fat is healthy to pop media, people want to be shown off as fat.

Then they start being mean with body shaming when there is no reason for it. That's what we have here. Body shaming skinny people for being healthy.

The world is sick.

[godfatherfan]

Because people should just accept people. Instead all we hear are these skinny cunty people bitching. A lot of them have been those types that have been skinny all their lives and have no idea what it is like dealing with weight.
I have a big family. As a child I was fat until after graduation. after a tragic personal issue, I delved deep into an Eating disorder and have been bulimic ever since. at my lowest was down to 185lbs at 6' 3". That was way too low and I looked as sick as I was.
NOBODY needs to be "shaming" anyone. anyone that does it is a complete Piece of shit.

[T-shirtsandkneehighs]

Ngl 185lb at 6'3 isn't underweight at all

[godfatherfan]

for a large frame man it very very very very much is.
and if you seriously think that, my guess is your one of those very skinny people that fits into the "what is wrong with people" catagory.
too thin is a problem just like too overweight is a problem. I looked sick, you could see my ribs, it was not a healthy situation. Ideally I should be around 220. But even my doctor said 250 would work well. I am 270ish and am just fine with that. But I was at 360 at one point after I started recovery for bulimia

[Bandit74]

I don't care how what feminists think, the girls in the top picture are not attractive. We don't have a skinny crisis where the population is too skinny. The problem is in the opposite direction and normalizing it isn't good.

Also why don't we have male body positivity movements? I have NEVER seen a chubby male model on the runway or in a commercial. And in movies the fat guy is always the comedic relief.

[LightsOff]

Maybe if there was a bigger uproar from guys... I mean women didn't get to this point just by sitting back and not doing anything about it, while whining about nothing being done about it.

[Bandit74]

@LightsOff
Well whenever guys do complain women just tell them to get over it or that women have it worse so guys shouldn't complain.

Honestly tho, I don't think there should be fat acceptance movements for either gender. I think its stupid to push the idea that being chubby/fat is attractive.

[EnglishArtsteacher]

@Bandit74 You can't say it's "stupid" for thinking fat is attractive. Some people are attracted to fat people. They can't help it. I know guys with a fat fetish. A fetish isn't a choice.

[LightsOff]

It's not about complaining, it's about taking actual action. Men aren't exactly listening to women when they complain either. It's about creating your own movement, getting petitions going, founding shit. You're not going to get anywhere if all you do is sit on your ass on the internet and complain. If it's something you honestly care about then you'd be like "HELL YEAH!" and start getting other men engaged. If it's not something you care much about at all, keep complaining on the internet.

[Bandit74]

@EnglishArtsteacher
Those are people with fetishes, they are a minority. The average person isn't going to see the body types in the 1st picture as attractive and certainly not ideal. I didn't mean that its stupid for those people to find that body type attractive, i just mean that its stupid to pretend that the majority finds that body type attractive or that its something to strive for.

@LightsOff I just said its not something I really care about. I dont think fat men should be considered attractive any more than fat women should.
I just get annoyed when women claim to care about the issues of both genders but only petition/fight for their own. Id prefer if women were just honest and said "we only care about women issue, men can fight for their own issues " That would at east be honest.

[LightsOff]

Plenty of women do care about and fight for men's issues. But it's hard, we can't exactly speak for other people and their experiences since they are things we haven't experienced ourselves. Men have a lot of women on their side but it really does boil down to picking yourself up and making things happen yourself. You can't expect others to do it. Nobody in the feminist movement, right when it started, expected men to want to fight for them or understand their issues. But they did it anyway because fuck it, that was their passion and what they believed in. You can't expect other people to fight your battles. They can be by your side and support you, but ultimately it is your battle to fight. That doesn't mean that they won't care or help you, it just means, again, that you can't sit back and wait for everyone else to do the work. Especially when "the work" consists of talking about experiences and lives that nobody else has lived.

[Sojex]

@EnglishArtsteacher It is stupid. It's stupid because trying to convince people that being fat is attractive is an effort to convince people the being fat is okay when its not. There are so many health issues you can develope when you become overweight and trying to make that seem as if it's okay would be similar to saying its OK to be anorexic. To opposite extremes but neither should be celebrated.

[JessTheMess]

There is definitely a difference in curvy and fat. I work out, eat healthy, and I still have meat on my bones I'm healthy. Even thin people can have high cholesterol. Just because she's skinny doesn't mean she's eating salads all the time.

[GirlScout]

I think a lot of those ladies are just fine as they are. We should make a point to say that unhealthy people are not cool, starving yourself isn't cool and overeating to excess isn't cool. It's just been the way to shame bigger girls for so many years that people are just turning the tables, same as this Dad-Bod thing - that's the male version going about at the moment.

[Bandit74]

@girlscout

I think the "dad bod" is still thinner than the girls in the first picture. Also the dad bod isn't really being used in advertisments.

I don't think we should shame people but saying that those body types are attractive is just "lowering the bar" in my opinion.

[GirlScout]

Lowering the bar? Oaaakaaaay... but everyone has their own bar. If you go by someone else's bar then you're a fool.

Both sides have good merits, both are trying to promote being healthy. One side think that being skinny is healthy and attractive but it causes eating disorders and the other thinks that embracing your obesity is a healthy mental attitude to have, while seemingly ignoring the facts.

What would be better is if we all just stopped being stupid sheep and following what society says is attractive. Why do we need this dictating to us? Humans are so weak and pathetic when en masse. Makes me so glad I don't live in this kind of world, where this shit is actually important.

[Bandit74]

images.sodahead.com/.../...pe_answer_1_xlarge.jpeg

Ok for the purpose of this conversation I want to refer to this diagram. I realize there are probably body types inbetween the categories that were given but it’s the best I could find for showing the different body types.
While I agree that society does somewhat dictake what we find attractive, I think it’s a give/take. They also show use what we want to see. There is a certain objectivity to beauty (symmetry, health, proportionanlity ect)
If you were to somehow poll everyone on the planet and have them choose what boy type they are the most attracted to, do you think the result would be that it would be a 10 way tie where every type gets the same number of votes?
Personally I doubt it. I think the bodies in the the 2-4 &8 range would get the most votes and then the further out you go the less votes each body would get.
The girls in the top picture are between 5& 6. I doubt theyd get zero votes but I strongly doubt they have the same appeal as the ones in 2-4 .

[Bandit74]

@girlscout
I don’t think its all because society doesn’t want us to see them as the most attractive, we just don’t.

[GirlScout]

I'm not saying society makes them unattractive, I'm saying we should stop having our tastes dictated to us. I'm so thankful I was brought up outside of mainstream society as a kid. This societal norms, peer pressure social expectation shit is just so damaging.

[Bandit74]

@girlsout
What do you mean you grew up outside of mainstream society?

[Anonymous]

I judge bodies hard. I mean I will shame a body just for the fun of it. And I can get really cruel too. Like I'd say a solid 85% of human beings look unappealing to me. But it's all in my head. I don't even let my face show it. Why? Because they don't need to know. If a person is at an unhealthy weight they know it and if they don't they'll find out soon. There's zero reason for me to tell them. So I don't. No one needs to know my harsh opinions of their physical appearance. I think people should be able to live a peaceful life as they wish. So when I see someone making fun of another person's body I get upset not because they're wrong but because they're being unnecessarily rude. You don't have to vocalize every thought.

[weegin]

I agree very much with this.

[kahxx]

there's nothing wrong with being skinny, i don't think that's what people were saying. body positivity is great, and i agree 1000% with it that all body types should be loved and appreciated. that being said, i would like to see more models that are other body types. the average model weighs 23% less than the average woman weighs, why is that? when online shopping, models are always 5'10 or around there. i am 5'4, how tf am i suppossed to know what that same dress will look like on me. the average woman is 5'4, 166ish pounds, so why are models always 5'5 and 120? it makes no sense. there should be more diversity in the fashion world for different body shapes. most models are tall, skinny, and have small boobs. that's not how it is in the real world so why are all the models like that? ya feel?

[DonyChicago]

Models have specific measurements because designers are not going to make plenty sizes of clothes just for a runway. It is so simple. That is why they look for specific measurements on men and women. And they want slimmer ones because they want the attention to be focused on the clothe, not on the person.

[kahxx]

@DonyChicago how does the body type of a model dictate what someone is paying attention to? if i see an 100 pound model, i'm looking at the clothes. if i see a 200 pound model, im looking at the clothes. if i see a 150 pound model, im looking at the clothes AND i can tell myself "hey that might look good on me because i have a similar body type"

point being, if they're going to choose one body type to have models be (which makes sense that they would choose one for designing reasons, yes) then it should be an average body type.

[DonyChicago]

"Average body type" : why should they choose an "average body type" ? Because most of people have an "average body type" ? And what about those who don't have an "average body type". They will feel marginalized. So it is not going to solve the problem. It will just help the majority to feel better. But beside the majority there is a minority who will complain. We just have to accept that they have chosen that type of body that's all.
And most people will not look at a clothe on a 200 pound model just the way they look at a clothe on a 100 pound model. The purpose of a runway is to focus the attention of everybody on clothes not on models.

[JessTheMess]

I don't think I wanna see anyone that weighs 200 pounds modeling a swimsuit or lingerie.. Just saying..

[kahxx]

@DonyChicago you're right, if we had average sized models, then minorities would be left out. but having a minority (skinny people) be models, makes the majority left out. and i don't understand how a differently (and more realistically) shaped model will distract attention from the clothes loll you make no sense.

[kahxx]

@JessTheMess wow. you're a bitch. just because YOU wouldn't want to see that, doesn't mean that nobody else did. get your head out of your ass.

[JessTheMess]

Haha okay. Anyway, I kinda like how the models are skinny.. they play as a blank canvas for fashion. When these designers do fashion shows.. it's like showing off their art. They use mannequins as guidelines. I'm not model sized, but I'm healthy. I eat right and workout. my friend is super skinny.. she eats garbage and never works out.. is it fair, no.. but at least I know I won't die from heart disease. Should I start another mytake about how when women are honest and express how they feel they're bitches.. but when men do it it's acceptable? Cause I'll go there..

[JessTheMess]

The average body type keeps changing.. but it wouldn't it if we just all started healthier life styles.. obesity is genetic.. but only because the older generation was lazy and ate bad. It's not something that just happens.. we didn't start out with an average country weight of 166.2 pounds..

[DonyChicago]

'' but having a minority (skinny people) be models, makes the majority left out '' As I said having models of ''average body type'' will not solve the problem since some people would still feel left out. And making a minority to feel left out is not better that making the majority to feel the same. They have chosen super thin models. We have to accept that's all.
''a differently (and more realistically) shaped model '' The ''skinny'' models are real too. It is not because most women are not that thin that they should be considered as realistically. There are people out there who are naturally very thin and they are as real as you and I.
''will distract attention from the clothes'' Designers have a preference for super thin models because their bodies and their curves cannot be seen under those clothes. Less thin models could have their curves shown under the clothes. The models are supposed to be like hangers.

[Wonderbread131]

Agree

[LuckyLittleLucy]

Personally I agree. "Curvy" is in fashion now but I'm curvy and a small size. It feels like whenever people say "respect curvy women" they mean plus size women- which isn't wrong, but your size doesn't determine your shape.
All we seem to see is tall, slim women or plus size women. I agree that these body types should be celebrated but I think people should consider what is healthy. I personally think maybe it should be done on BMI? Because your BMI has nothing to do with the way your body looks, only if it is healthy or not... And women are the cat walk are role-models, so I think we should have a range of ethnicities, shapes, sizes and heights etc. as long as they have a healthy BMI. I'm sure there are some pitfalls in the plan but then at least all body types would be promoted and healthy bodies would be what people see and want to be like...
Just a thought

[existing_not_living]

Yeah, it's stupid. I'm pretty skinny (not so much in the thighs - I have a small thigh gap, but everywhere else) and I've gotten told to eat a hamburger by family members at family functions or my dad telling me he didn't want me to be all skin and bones and to eat more. It really hurt because those comments made me feel so self-concious about my body which I already am. It's stupid to skinny shame people or fat shame people. Very stupid. People need to just shut their damn mouths.

[Wonderbread131]

Embrace the body you have we only live once and f****** thick thighs and ass that's what every man wants and if not that's because his dick ain't big enough to handle something like that just saying

[Drast]

Your body is a reflection of how you live your life. I've never thought less of someone as a person because of their weight, but I will never be attracted to what they try to push. Models are at the peak of what is considered attractive, and this more or less has stayed the same in certain aspects throughout history. I think acceptance movements are a rude used to avoid hard work. If you want to be over weight, and you think that's attractive, fine good for you. If you want to work out and probably be attractive to more people, then fine good for you. But I won't have people trying to set the standard in which I am attracted to.

[Anonymous]

It's just a bunch of overweight girls who want to feel good about themselves rather than hitting the gym. You don't see these women asking for overweight guys on male fashion magazines. Just a bunch of shallow hypocrites who want men to drop their standards while at the same time maintain their standards in men. You also don't see overweight men making a big deal about fit muscular men with six packs plastered all over the place. These women are shallow hypocrites for only being body positive with women and not men, human beings in general. I don't body shame women but stop the hypocrisy please. Because I'm aware of their disgusting intentions.

[DonyChicago]

Good point !

[Darkfairie17]

Actually, I follow a lot of body positive blogs and pages, and there are many women fully supporting changes in the men's fashion industry as well! I do believe that both sexes are harmed when we only focus on one body type as being acceptable. We need to see a variety of body types, as everyone is different.

[KbooInLove]

i agree with u 100%

[BlueEyedHipsta]

I do agree with you, all shapes and sizes should be loved, in reply to other people saying you shouldn't encourage a unhealthy lifestyle; its not encouraging it its just saying that everyone is beautiful, lifestyle choice is exactly that a choice, telling someone they're fat isn't going to change a thing.

I do believe models have way too much pressure to look good. But I don't think skinny models are such a bad thing, I believe some of the reasoning would be that it makes it easier and cheaper for the designers to make the items. Thus leaving more money to spend on the actual show and you get great shows like the Victoria's secret runway show.

[cipher42]

There's not nearly as many skinny people out there as the ratio of body types in the fashion industry seems to imply. The lack of representation of anyone except skinny white girls is a very real issue in media, and I don't see why you can't understand why people would be frustrated about this. Yes, saying skinny women aren't "real" women is bullshit, but it is true that the amount of skinny models represented versus the amount of fat or even just average sized models is not in the slightest realistic.

[iamasquirrel]

I applaud and absolutely agree with everything you wrote. My whole life I've been naturally skinny, trying to put on some weight, with no success. Ever since I can remember, people pointed out how thin I was, always with some stupid joke to make. Even nowadays, my so called "friends" (only the female) like to point out how thin I look everytime they see me, and I don't mean it in a good way. If I pointed out to them how chubby they look, if I suggested they eat less, like they tell me to eat more, everyone would go nuts and say I'm stupid and I have no feelings for saying that. God forbid we make fun of the fat! now with the thin ones, attack them with all you've got. Sigh... bringing down others to make yourself feel better is ridiculous.

[sexyasianboi26]

www.buzzfeed.com/.../womens-ideal-body-types-throughout-history

People with different backgrounds, cultures have different preferences. The Italian Renaissance and Victorian Era preferred the "BBW" type. Also every generation (which is 10 years) have different sex icons that they look at.

In this country, you can't force a single idea and expect people to respect and follow it. This is where the saying echos of free market, free country. Liberty and "pursuit of happiness".