Body Shaming: What exactly does this common practice mean?

In the simplest form, body shaming means the practice of criticizing a person for their body type.

On this week’s episode of “Take Down that Instagram Post", iconic producer Don Jazzy was intimated with the meaning of the term “body-shaming” when he was chastised for shaming by a lady whose photo he shared on Instagram.

The photo appeared in a photo poll which Don Jazzy posted on Instagram to engage his followers.

Upon discovering her photo was used and the manner in which she believed that her worth was deflated, the London-based writer and blogger, who tweets from the handle @theslumflower, put Don Jazzy on blast.

In reaction to the post, she wrote on Twitter, "I love being body shamed and slandered by Nigerian musicians. Thank you for being horrible @DONJAZZY. Hope it’s worth it!" .

Don Jazzy responded to the tweet, with another which read, "Wasn't my intention to do that. Post has been deleted immediately. Please accept my sincere apology".

The producer has since taken the post down.

The lady in question enjoys a vocal presence on social media where she brings up issues regarding women, their relationships with men and in a larger sense, society.

Which is why we must ask; what exactly is body-shaming?

In the simplest form, body shaming means the practice of criticizing a person for their appearance or body type.

As with most pop culture lingo, the term entered the lexicon off the strength of conversations had mostly on social media.

ALSO: Nigerian TV anchor refuses to let troll body-shame her

However, even though it may not have had a name to call it’s own, the practice of body-shaming is a lot older than you may think.

It all boils down to standards.

Different cultures and societies have always had an ideal body type. In Nigeria, it is that of the lean, chiselled man and the firm, curvy woman.

Such standards are held in such high esteem that it becomes easy to lampoon those who do not fit them.

 

Very often, under the guise of humour, we criticise the bodies and habits of those who do not fit these standards in one way or the other.

At other times, it is done, ostensibly, with the intention of getting these people to take responsibility and work on their bodies.

To solve the problem, you must understand its scale

In Nigeria, body-shaming is such a part of popular culture that we rarely even notice it.

How do you explain terms like orobo or lepa?

On the streets, it is not unusual to hear passers-by stare unconscionably at people who are over-weight.

That is, if they stop there and don’t make jokes about how you need to pay for two seats in public transport.

In this age of social media, Nigerian celebrities have faced body-shaming on an amplified level.

Most of the hate is directed towards women.

Ex-BBA housemate and budding media personality, Uriel was shamed recently for what a troll termed her "saggy boobs".

Others like OAP Dami Elebe and Tolu "Toolz" Oniru are constantly the butt of jokes and vitriolic attacks from social media trolls.

We should note that their responses, individually, have set down a strong mark for future instances of body-shaming.

ALSO READ: Uriel's message of self-love shames internet trolls

Dami Elebe is an interesting case in point. Her balance of vulnerability and confidence in her responses disarms the hate in body-shaming.

In a popular twitter thread published in November 2017, the OAP wrote, "The only reason I am desensitized to body shaming comments about me is because people have said it to damn much. At a point, it hurt but as I am now... It's nothing".

"Help someone overcome an insecurity they get teased about by tweeting about how you overcame yours" she tweeted.

In conclusion, she delivered a solid point, that ignoring and blocking out bullies helps her to stay focused on better living.

The practice of body shaming on the larger scale is also something worth noting.

No single entity pushes beauty standards more than the media. For years, magazines have sold the idea of the lean model with centre-spreads.

Beauty and lifestyle brands, till this day, use different iterations of the same model to sell the promise of improvement.

In one of the more recent instances, model and actress Lupita Nyong'o was upset after British magazine, Grazia retouched photos of her for its cover spread.

The actress blessed the cover of the fashion publication's November 2017 issue, where she appears with a shaved head.

ALSO READ: Lupita Nyong'o blasts Grazia Magazine

However, according to a set of images shared by Lupita on Instagram, her hair was actually styled in a loose afro ponytail for the photo shoot.

A disappointed Lupita wrote on Instagram, "As I have made clear so often in the past with every fiber of my being, I embrace my natural heritage and despite having grown up thinking light skin and straight, silky hair were the standards of beauty, I now know that my dark skin and kinky, coily hair are beautiful too."

Sadly, for all its frequency, body shaming doesn’t really achieve anything.

If anything, it eats into an individual’s self-esteem and confidence. Obviously, most standards are unrealistic.

People are genetically wired to have different body types and as we have found with different models and their all-too-familiar stories of anorexia and bulimia, the appearance of the perfect body type has little to do with actual physical health.

The example set by Don Jazzy will go a long way in teaching young Nigerians to be more sensitive.

Hopefully, we can build from there.