Guestblog, Opinion Column

[ #Opinion ] Body/ Slut / Image shaming | #Guestpost by Unhotelier Manish Sinha |

Manish-sinha-Unhotelier-body-shaming-guest-post-slut-shaming-opinion-piece-BAR-womens-issue
Spotted this wall of wooden handblocks in a shop in Saket recently amd loved the way each one stands out as a unique piece to contribute to one large picture!

Body Shaming

Growing up in a patriarchal, conservative family, one never realised that at the receiving end of our friendly banter around body types – the moti, kaali, chhoti labels was a real person.

Thankfully with the education one received and the maturity and perspective one gathered; most of us were able to see the damage that such labelling did. Yes, I grew up in the pre body-shaming coinage days! Yet back then, it was a rampant practice clothed under societal sanction and patriarchal mores.

It’s therefore heartening when a friend asks to pen down my thoughts. As we plough half way through 2017, while the incidence of body shaming is still high, there has been overwhelming positive support decrying it as well. A lot of young women around the world have stopped taking shit from body shamers and have hit back. From celebrities to women on our fb timeline, people are using their social media accounts to share their responses to negative comments from haters. And declaring that they love their bodies just the way they are and they couldn’t be happier about it.

Our media and movies have had a big role to mythologize and idolize the perfectly chiseled body. It’s a direct function of the Bollywood-Hollywood objectification  and glamorization of the female form that anything that’s not fair and shapely and doesn’t quite meet an unnatural benchmark could be an object of shame. Cleverly and quite outrageously, men are less at the receiving end than women. This body shaming battle won’t be won by staying away from keyboards or shying away from rallying support.

So what can ordinary men and women do? Actually, quite a lot.

We could start with a zero tolerance for body shaming at our homes and offices, in our whatsapp and fb timelines. The teachings need to start in schools and at home. We need to clearly articulate that it’s the body shamer that’s the bully; we need to stand up and give it back as individuals, as families and friends. Body Shamers are not just on social media. Even aging parents and grandparents may still be using politically incorrect descriptors to address even close family members; it needs to be pointed out and nipped in the bud!

 At the workplace, like sexual harassment, we need to be aware and espouse a culture of  ‘Zero Body Shaming’. Perhaps the biggest damage it does is to children and adolescents; so schools must be very vigilant about body shaming incidents.

Big brands have their global mandates but responsible small businesses and startups should use normal people with different body types  as models for their products to the extent possible. After all we must be the change that we would like to see in our worlds.

 It’s not impossible to turn the tide against this societal myth and creation of the ideal body type; it’s taken decades of corporate money, societal bias and plain insensitivity to create the six-pack man and the size zero wonder woman; let’s now be equally dedicated to celebrate the god gifted body shapes that we have.   Every like, tweet, voice and message of solidarity will count.  Let us at all times be proud of who we are. And never be ashamed of how someone else sees us.

Manish-sinha-Unhotelier-body-shaming-guest-post-slut-shaming-opinion-piece-BAR-womens-issue


This is a Guest post written for a campaign on my blog for creating an awareness on how much we put others or ourselves down on physical aspects, personality traits, financial status, perceived notions and mindsets conditioned by years of nonsensical vagaries.

Popularly called Body/Slut shaming, its gripping us all in epic proportions on a psychological levels and creating havoc in the minds of the young women and men who are more susceptible to peer pressure or should I say “Peer pleasure” ?

Look forward to seeing my readers reaction to this and many more to come!

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3 thoughts on “[ #Opinion ] Body/ Slut / Image shaming | #Guestpost by Unhotelier Manish Sinha |

  1. Excellent post… Indeed we need to stop anyone who makes an insensitive comment, be it about us or someone else. Unless someone tells them it’s wrong to typecast and slam people, we will still live in a society where it’s ok for a brand like fair and lovely to advertise fairness creams.

  2. Body shaming is a word pretty recently added to my dictionary, however I have obviously come across multiple instances of it throughout my life. At one point in my teens I briefly wondered if I should quit tennis and swimming, just cause most people I met decided to note how tanned I had become! I am an ardent supporter of fitness, but against the drastic impact a persons weight have on the way people judge them. Recently, I met a kid of hardly 10 who had no confidence to play with the other girls in our neighbourhood because she is overweight and gets teased often. Similarly, my cousin has gone through intense trauma because all people talk to her about is her weight and tips to reduce it. I am glad you have taken up this initiative of not only talking about it and also getting other people to share their views and experiences.

  3. Such an important thing that needs to be taught from an early age. You don’t need to fit it, you need to be happy is what needs to be reiterated

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