Be the Perfect Size to Fit in

“Feeling beautiful has nothing to do with what you look like - beauty lies within oneself’’

Scrolling through your Instagram feed and seeing your friends’ pictures- ever wished to look like them? Well, you are not the only one caught in this paradigm of the society’s definition of ‘beautiful’. A survey conducted by BBC on around 230 female students revealed that they compared their appearances negatively to their acquaintances and celebrities while scrolling through social media. The gravity of the situation can be measured by considering that almost everyone in the realm of media and high beauty standards has been body shamed at some or the other point in their lives, even successful stars like Deepika Padukone and Sam Smith.

Weight-related shaming is one broad aspect of Body Shaming which has been prevalent for quite a long while now. As someone suffering from weight issues i.e. being too fat or too skinny on the ‘figure-scale’ determined by society, many of us long to have a physique like the fit celebrities and sportspersons we come across. This ‘weight-shaming’ continues even amongst those we consider our closest friends; many of them have subtle solutions for our ‘weight problems’. Nicknames like ‘fatso’ and ‘patlu’ become the new normal. However, we should never take it to heart- fat or thin, skinny, underweight or overweight- each one of us is beautiful and unique for the person we are, not for our appearance.

Rooted in our childhood itself, the famous Barbie and Ken dolls we played with always had a 0 figure or broad shoulders which were considered as a standard for depicting femininity or masculinity. Later in life, those of us suffering from weight issues have often been forced to find an idol in gym-sculpted celebrities and actors we see on media. Each magazine cover infamously features an actor flexing his six-packs and the same magazines offer tips on how to lose weight in days, appear slimmer ‘instantly’ and hide our ‘imperfections’. These magazines have found their audience in so many like us that they don’t really need to know who we are in terms of personality or even appearance- they just categorize us as those who have imperfect weight! By paying heed to such articles and images, we get preoccupied with looking better by working out or dieting. One should, nevertheless, always remember that being fat or thin is not a problem. We should realise that the atoms which put us together are so unique, there’s no one else who might be the same in this entire world! Under no circumstances should we allow society to dictate the code of fashion; instead, we should hold power over our own being and be true to ourselves.  

Weight is just a numeric value that should not hold any meaning in our otherwise charming life. Just like we don’t wish to be shamed, we should also make sure to never be on the other end of the body shaming cycle. When we comment on others on the basis of their appearance, it affects them on a physical as well as physiological level, from their mood to the choices they make every day. Today, 58% of boys and 63% of girls are subjected to bullying because of their size. This inculcates negative feelings like low self-esteem, anxiety, poor body image and depression which leads to thoughts of suicide. To get the ‘perfect’ body shape, many teens start starving themselves which leads to eating disorders like Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa and dissatisfaction with oneself.  

At any time in our life, we should always remember to be comfortable in our own skin. We should never try to sculpt ourselves or our body to cater to someone else’s idea of ‘beautiful’ or ‘attractive’- being comfortable and happy should be the only mantra to feeling content with oneself!