Body shaming is one of those issues in India where citizens, irrespective of caste, creed, race and their social-economical position are a victim of, particularly make-shift gnawing monster. In India, body shaming takes the front seat in a person’s intellectual part of the mind in judging their fellow people. Some do it for fun, and some do it for instigating others; to push them into the valley of depression. This virtual devil is hell-bent on achieving its goal; to ride on peoples’ low self-esteem.
In a country like ours, body shaming feeds not only on women but also on men. I was (still am) one of the victims of this brutal institution. It works bizarrely. If one is tall, they’re overachieving. If one is short, they will not achieve anything. If one is fat, they’re reckless and don’t have any control over them. If one is thin, they’re frail and useless. This stereotypical and cliched process of thinking leads to a lot of blunders in one’s life. This brutal monster clouds a person’s intellectual reach and their ability to solve.
Women are seldom vulnerable to this. Many judge them physically and they don’t even bother to know the insight of their victim. Women often face these types of allegations everywhere they go; workplace, grocery store, family gatherings and even in functions. The worst part is their family members occupy the major portion of this. For instance, when a marriage prospect is devised, they conclude just by closely examining the photo uploaded on the matrimonial website. This is evident in every nook and corner of Indian households.
Women, especially post-pregnancy, are on the hit list. It takes a lot for a new mother to get back into shape. They are scrutinised in every way possible. People who body shame them will never take the amount of stress, the tension they have gone through into consideration. Managing the baby and the rest of the world is never easy. Only a woman can understand that ordeal.
Body shaming may seem like a trivial problem for many. But people who are staunch victims of this issue know the effects of this looming catastrophe. This is invisible; it dwells in each and every human being on this planet. This will stay for aeons to come. But one can choose the words carefully before launching them from the mouth. Together we can tackle this only when we’re ready to accept the fact that no one is perfect and never will be.