Body Shaming in the Media
Body shaming is not uncommon in the media, and it has taken its toll on society, due to the unrealistic beauty standards it has created.
‘Body shaming’ refers to the act of making negative comments about an individual's body.
Body Shaming in the media should be banned, however, unfortunately for any aspiring actress, singer, model, etc., it apparently comes with the job.
Magazines and newspapers, such as In Touch magazine, Star magazine, and The Sun newspaper, thrive on body shaming female celebrities.
Although both men and women are victims of body shaming, women are subject to this more often.
Women are expected to live up to unrealistic beauty standards such as not being too thin or too big, to refrain from having cellulite and stretch marks and to generally have a fit and toned body at all times. This even includes women who have recently given birth.
Examples of Body Shaming
Celebrities who take a well-deserved break and happen to be in a bikini on a hot beach, are subject to negative comments regarding their body.
Here are a few disturbing examples:
- Jennifer Aniston — InTouch Magazine
The front page of In Touch magazine exploits Jennifer Aniston and her so-called ‘bump.’
Jennifer happened to be on holiday in a bikini and therefore the magazine claimed that Jennifer was pregnant because she “looks” it.
However, she was not pregnant.
Not only is this a malicious article, it is also factually wrong and should have been checked before its publication.
2. Kim Kardashian — InTouch Magazine
Kim Kardashian has been shamed for her weight gain during pregnancy on the front cover of In Touch magazine.
The headline is extremely insulting as it reads “I can’t stop eating.”
I hate to break it to the media industry, but women gain weight whilst growing a human inside of their womb.
This could have caused great stress to a heavily pregnant women, who should be enjoying her pregnancy in order to grow a healthy baby.
3. ’45 Best and Worst Beach Bodies’ — Star Magazine
Star Magazine has shamed 45 women, dedicating a whole front cover to sell an article which ranks the bodies of female celebrities from ‘best to worst.’
Not only has Star magazine publicly humiliated these women by sharing photographs of them in bikini’s, they have also circled specific parts of their body and labelled it “Cellulite!”.
This is a cruel annotation and could have caused self-esteem and general mental health issues for the women involved.
Raising Awareness of ‘Body Shaming’
Many celebrities are raising awareness of body shaming. Whilst doing so, they are promoting body positivity.
Celebrities such as Stacey Solomon and Jameela Jamil are amongst two of the many inspiring women who have just had enough of the constant abuse.
Stacey Solomon has taken to social media to hit back at body shaming.
Here is what she had to say:
Stacey Solomon felt that she needed to justify that she has children and to share that her body looks the way it does as a ‘result of being pregnant and breastfeeding.’
This is a brave response from Stacey, although she should not have to defend herself in any way.
Has This Had an Impact on Plus Size Models?
I decided to contact a plus size model on Twitter to find out whether or not body shaming in the media had affected them in any way.
Harlee Syn says she used to see body shaming “everywhere” when she was younger, which “really affected” her body image.
However, Harlee says she no longer witnesses body shaming, as she has curated her media intake in order to maintain a “more positive outlook.”
After speaking with Harlee, it is interesting to see how body shaming in the media can affect different people in different ways, even when it is not directly aimed at them.
If YOU want to help ban body shaming in the British media, then please click here to sign the petition that I have recently published.
