"She’s
too tiny!” said the mother of six to my mom “do you think she has HIV?” my mom
didn’t react to it. She ignored it but as a girl in my teens being referred to
as one with this fatal illness just because I was skinny and allowing my genes
to determine my weight and height, I felt not just terribly sad but also
self-conscious. I made it a deal to avoid situations where food, body weight
and heights were discussed.
Sometime ago, a friend from my childhood
posted on her timeline on Facebook, complaining about how someone said she was
too fat and that she was not going to find a man for herself with that kind of
body fat.
It
is a sad reality we all face and a negative menace that has been ingrained in
our cultures especially in my country Nigeria. It is not unusual to be called Orobo and fatty bombom (if you are a bit chubby) and Lekpa (if you are
slim). It has been a part of our everyday lives and people say those rash words
without considering the other person’s feelings and the presence of others.
In
this digital age we live in, commercials have been used to target our body
sizes, shapes and other areas of our lives. Advertisers in a bid to persuade us
to see the need of a particular product or service they are offering, they use
terms that body shame people and affects self-worth and confidence.
The
effects of body shaming have been tremendously negative. Eating disorders like
bulimia and anorexia nervosa have been developed. Unfortunately, due to the
stigma attached to minor psychiatric disorders in Nigeria, people hide it from
the face of the public. Psychological problems too are not left out. Low
self-esteem, low self-confidence and being too self-consciousness are some of
the noticeable problems associated with fat shaming.
Since this has been part of our lives, we have
to create a platform and use our voice to end this body shaming / fat shaming.
I would like to share with you four tips on how to deal with this body shaming:
DON’T
TAKE THINGS TOO PERSONALLY: This was what my mom knew and acted out when that
lady said something terrible and untrue about her child. She knew that people
filled with love, happiness and fully satisfied with their lives would never
say negative things to others. People tend to project their fears, disappointments,
and doubts towards you. DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
SPEAK
UP: It is very important that we speak up against this trend that has such a
profound negative impact. We owe ourselves the responsibility to love ourselves
enough to say no to ill-treatment from others. While speaking up for yourself,
don’t forget to lend your voice to others who do not have all it takes to speak
up.
BE
HONEST TO YOURSELF: If you think you really have to lose or add weight, do it
for yourself. Be honest enough to yourself to know what you are lacking and act
towards correcting it. If you need to start exercising to lose weight and eat
health diets, do it because you want to invest in your future health.
CHOOSE
PEOPLE WISELY: Surround yourself with people that build you up and love you for
who you are.
I
HAVE CREATED A PLATFORM WHERE WE CAN SHARE OUR EXPERIENCE, LEARN FROM OTHERS AND
USE OUR VOICE TO BE A FORCE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE. CLICK ON THIS LINK TO BE PART
OF IT OR EXPLORE AROUND👇👇👇
DO
YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BODY SHAMING? I’VE MADE A VIDEO FOR YOU. CLICK
HERE TO WATCH IT.👇👇👇
LET’S
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION IN THE COMMENT SECTION.
WHY NIGERIAN WOMEN ARE OBSESSED WITH MARRIAGE
WHY NIGERIAN WOMEN ARE OBSESSED WITH MARRIAGE
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