Body shaming falls under a list of different categories: fat shaming, skinny shaming and disorder shaming to name a few. So what is body shaming? Freshmen Felix Fix says, “It is where you make fun of someone or you’re purposely trying to hurt their feelings based on how they look.” But that’s not all. Body shaming is when you make fun of somebody’s appearance for their body shape or size. It involves criticizing your appearance or comparing yourself to other people. Many do not realize but shaming yourself is considered body shaming, whether you compare yourself to someone else or talk bad about yourself, you are body shaming. We have all done it, whether it be in elementary school, middle school, high school, and even midlife. Most people do not even realize that they are shaming themselves.

Social media takes part in mass body shaming in a major way and some people do not even recognize it. Everybody thinks they have imperfections but some people point it out to themselves daily when they see models on social media pop up in their feed. Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and even Facebook play a huge role in it. According to Bullyingstatistics, “Academic studies of media and its effects on body image indicate we live in an image-heavy society online and in person (advertisements in magazines, newspapers, billboards, shopping windows, etc.) Because of this, technology has made a focus on appearance stronger than ever. Because our culture loves thin, whether it be in print ads, movies, music videos, etc., seeing something different isn’t considered fashionable.” Sophomore Isaac Askilsrud says, “I think it could happen more online, yes, because people have anonymity. But I also think strangers being mean to you is not as serious.” But it is not just girls Bullyingstatistics also states: “Body-shaming statistics indicate that 94 percent of teenage girls have been body shamed. However, the practice isn’t exclusive to the female gender. Teen boys and men are subjected to thoughtless opinions and hurtful comments made as well. Nearly 65 percent of teen boys reported having been body shamed.”

There are many misconceptions about what constitutes as body shaming. One is that body shaming only occurs when people make derogatory comments about another person. Most students questioned on the subject for this article indicated they did not realize comparing themselves to others is also body shaming.  According to Michael J, “Self-esteem is our opinion of ourselves, based on others’ perceptions…In every social interaction that we have — even before we are able to fully engage in those social interactions, because of our level of development — we are given instructions. Sometimes those instructions are positive, sometimes negative and sometimes benign.” We depend on others views of ourselves as deciding what our self-worth is without even realizing it.

Another misconception is that bodying shaming only includes shaming of others. Out of the seven students interviewed, none were aware that shaming oneself is also considered body shaming. Once told that body shaming oneself was, in general, the same, they realized they had body shamed, not to others but to themselves. “It can be far trickier to change behavior about our own lives and bodies than it is to shift what we do to other people,” says JR Thorpe.

When asked why we body shame, Isaac also commented, “I really don’t feel like it has anything to do with somebody’s body, I just think it’s some way of expressing mean feelings. I don’t know how you would really phrase that. I think it is part of the broader problem of bullying. And just overall the way that people perceive and interact with each other.” Senior Landon Dawson said, “It can stem from a wide variety of things, but I’d say one of the most prominent reasons is people not being content with who they are themselves, so they then direct negative comments onto others.” When we feel negative about ourselves it is easier to make someone else feel just as negative.

The impact of body shaming on one person can be bigger than most think. Junior Natalie Tincham says, “I think it’s pretty serious. It can drive people to kill themselves on accident or on purpose.” What is this emotion caused from? “Shame has been called the most destructive human emotion, and I believe it is. Shame is the feeling that there’s something wrong with you as a person. It differs from guilt which is the sense that some action I did was harmful,” says John D. Moore in his article. “Shaming, judgement, and exclusion from others are processed in a part of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex for ACC. The ACC is also the part of the brain that processes physical pain. Social pain is no different in the brain than physical pain. Shame not only hurts but it’s destructive. Chronic shame has been linked to depression and addiction. In men, shame can lead to destructive behaviors and violence.”  Shaming leaves a bigger imprint than you think, either on yourself or others.

Body shaming is a bigger problem than we realize. There is more depth to every situation, including problems that we think are insignificant, even to ourselves.