Defying Beauty Norms

KHANSA SUNDUS

“Lend me some fat it’ll help both of us!”

“You don’t have a beard man!  Are you gay?”

“You’re so lucky, you can eat whatever you want to. “

“This dress is not meant for you, it doesn’t suit your body type. Try something else maybe!”

“No, you don’t have a beach body at all. Don’t even think of trying. “

“You’re too fat, who’ll marry you?

How many times have you heard any of these from your kith and kin or from strangers?  Yes, people this is what I’m talking about. This is body shaming. Body shaming comes in various forms and shapes. Sometimes people do it out of concern, whereas, mostly people pass comments intentionally or unintentionally which may have a deep impact on your psychological well-being and you start believing that you’re flawed.

In today’s society, it has become an issue of grave concern. People from all walks of life indulge in it. So literally speaking, body shaming is negative statements or comments passed about one’s weight, height, size or skin tone but practically it is much more than that. It is one of the most serious forms of bullying and harassing. It tortures a person emotionally and degrades his morale. It humiliates a person to such an extent that his confidence shatters. When we see models on television or posters, with their perfect hourglass shaped bodies and plump lips, we start believing that we will not be accepted in the society with our imperfect bodies and we need to torture ourselves to fit into the society.  Many fairness cream endorsements give boost to such social stereotypes. It makes us believe that we need to be fair in order to look beautiful and that being dark skinned amounts to being ugly. Little do these endorsements realize that people cannot change their natural skin tone and all it will cause is futile consciousness among them leading to their vain efforts in trying to meet the false standards of beauty set by the society. These unrealistic standards of beauty do not pardon anyone. Even big television stars have fallen prey to it. Let’s take for instance actress Sonakshi Sinha. She has been trolled for her figure time and again. She has publicly accepted that she has faced a lot due to her body type but with time she has learnt to overcome it.

 Another great example is of Instagram influencer Dolly Singh who gets trolled for her uneven teeth and has been told multiple times to get braces in her comment section, but she overcomes these comments with her humour.

These toxic standards rooted in the society are very hazardous for an individual’s growth and upliftment. But sadly it is being transferred from one generation to another.

We need to realize that we’re in this together and we need to fight this together.  So ladies, chins up! You don’t need any lip fillers to get those trending plump lips. You don’t have to torture and starve yourselves to get that hourglass shaped body. Those spectacles look sexy on you, okay? You don’t have to get through laser treatment. You look gorgeous in that skin tone. No, your curly hair are not Maggi, they look adorable on you. You don’t have to apply those damned fairness creams! You’re perfect the way you are. You look stunning in that dress. You don’t have to shed some pounds to be fit for that dress. Yes you’re uniquely perfect. Be yourself and learn to accept yourself. Self-rejection will only make things worse. If you’re not going to accept yourself then no one else is going to do that. Just remember that!

Also next time before passing comments on someone’s appearance think about the impact it leaves on them. It’s your moral responsibility to abstain from body shaming. Yes, she’s short in height, but no, you don’t have to call her minion or recommend her Complan.

Yes he doesn’t have a beard but you don’t have to pinch him because he can’t help it, okay? He can’t pull a beard out of his chin! Yes, she’s dark, but you don’t have to call her blackie because she’s ‘beauty in black’! Because the truth is that bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Learn to accept that. Defy these beauty norms. It starts from you, this moment itself!

Editor’s Note: Body shaming is one of the worst forms of mental violence and bullying. We severely condemn it. This article is to tell you all what a bad impact it has on one’s daily life and psychological well-being. I hope after reading this article, many of you will change your way of speaking to others. The next time you call her/him ‘moti’ or ‘mota’, even jokingly, think twice.

If you also have something to write about or speak about, do it now. We encourage our audience to be the ‘voice of change’.

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