What is body shaming and tips to combat this practice

Body shaming is the practice of making someone feel ashamed of their own body, through verbal attacks that judge or ridicule their physical appearance. To better understand how this occurs and how we can deal with the problem, we spoke with behavioral psychologist Osmarina Vyel (CRP 0/40178-5). Follow below:

What is body shaming and what are its damages

The expression “body shaming” comes from English and can be translated as “shame of the body” or “shame the body”. It consists of the act of verbally attacking someone because of their shape or physical appearance, which can be very harmful for those who are the target of these offensive and inappropriate comments.

Psychologist Osmarina Vyel explains: “Unconsciously, a person imagines himself in a certain way, and a disappointment arises in relation to what he actually is. Then comes the degradation of the image of this individual who aspired to be different”.

“From the point of view of psychology, people seek inspiration from someone. When that someone does not meet expectations, frustration arises. These attacks generate very serious damage for those people who need self-affirmation”, comments Osmarina.

How body shaming is reproduced: from the past to the present day

“Since the world has been a world, the human race has sought perfection. Just look at Roman and Greek stories, among others. As a result, self-esteem became associated with the body. With the development of social media, the search for the production of the perfect image intensified and we became a consumer product.”, explains Osmarina. “Due to the lack of awareness of the good and the beautiful, this unhealthy model still holds.”

The psychologist also comments that anyone can be a victim of body shaming. “Attacks can occur at parties, in the family and in public exposure in general, but today they occur more frequently on social media – reason for many complaints in psychological offices.”

The nuances of body shaming and how it manifests itself

While anyone can be a victim of criticism, attacks and jokes about their appearance or physical shape, we know that in our society, women are much more prone to being victims of aesthetic pressure. This is a consequence of the objectification of the female body.

Osmarina explains that, influenced by advertising and fashion trends, we buy the idea that we should want the perfect body and value the physique, leaving aside who we are, our behavior and our interior. “In my view, we are still going to suffer for a long time before these distorted values ​​dissolve.”

“There is another important aspect, which is the human characteristic that is still barely conscious, which needs the approval of the other, allowing itself to enter this universe of comparisons. These are behaviors that are still infantilized, due to the little knowledge of themselves.”, concludes the psychologist.

How can we deal with body shaming?

“The more a person seeks self-knowledge, the greater the chances of not suffering this type of attacks. They may even occur, but the person will not let himself be discouraged by the expectations of the other in relation to himself, because each one must follow the model of life that he believes to be better.”, guides Osmarina.

In addition to knowing how to deal with body shaming as a victim, it is also essential to be careful not to reproduce the practice and the offensive and undesirable comments. In this sense, the psychologist comments: “The challenges of each one along the path of life only concern that individual. With this insight, a person will be able to stay healthy even in public exposure.”

Looking at your own body with affection, accepting it and loving it, is the first step to being less vulnerable to the damage of aesthetic pressure and body shaming. For starters, get to know these 15 profiles of non-standard women, but who exude beauty and are pure inspiration!

The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. They do not replace the advice and follow-up of doctors, nutritionists, psychologists, physical education professionals and other specialists.