3 Reasons Why Thin-Shaming Shouldn’t be Ignored

Everyone knows about fat-shaming- it’s a disgusting practice and shames someone for their body, and it’s a horrific kind of bullying that accepts one body type as the “norm” and any other body type as somehow strange or “ugly”.

So many times I have had people comment on how thin I am, and then wonder at my large appetite, suggesting that I shouldn’t be this thin on what I eat.

So here, I’ve put together a list of three reasons why thin-shaming shouldn’t be ignored. We should be promoting body confidence for all, and that includes all body types.

1. It’s still shaming!

Just because someone teases or shames someone for being thin doesn’t mean it’s not shaming. It’s still bullying and shaming someone for their figure or body shape, and it’s not on. If someone tells you that you’re ‘too thin’ or you need to ‘eat more’ (besides a doctor of course!), that is just as critical, mean and shaming as someone saying you’re ‘too fat’ or you need to ‘eat less.’

Just because you’re shaming a thin person, it’s still shaming! The fact that, by shaming someone’s body, you make them feel worthless and insecure also shows a reason why thin-shaming should not be ignored, with people often not realising that by criticising someone’s weight, even in a jokey or low-key way, it can make them feel worthless and ashamed, and this still applies when commenting on a slim person’s weight!

2. It’s never the focus

Thin-shaming is something that is often ridiculed and forgotten, with fat-shaming being a much more prevalent issue. In songs such as ‘All About that Bass’ by Meghan Trainer, being curvy is celebrated. And I’m not saying this is a bad thing at all- every single body shape should be celebrated and praised, and I think it’s brilliant that Trainer is giving girls and women the chance to embrace their own figure.

But it is when she uses the line ‘skinny bitches’, which is where the problem lies. It’s a brilliant idea to show people that not everyone in showbiz is size 0, and hardly anyone actually is that small! But to shame people for being thin, suggesting that thinner girls aren’t worth as much because of their weight, seems to defy the whole point of the song?

Meghan Trainer seems to be saying that every shape is good and should be celebrated… Except if you’re thin? But this is just laughed off and not focussed on, and I think that more people should be aware that every shape, size and waist-line is good, and women shouldn’t be put down because they’re slim. We should celebrate every size and shape, including those who naturally have a thin figure!

I don’t think thin-shaming will come into the limelight yet- with celebrities often fearing backlash from something seen as simply moaning- but I hope that in the future there is more awareness of this kind of shaming, and people realise that it is a real problem.

3. Eating disorders

Just as taunting and shaming a curvy person can lead to awful problems such as anorexia and bulimia, shaming someone who is naturally slim can also lead to eating complexes and problems. So many times I have been grabbed by the wrist by people I know and told I’m not eating enough, that my parents starve me, that I am too thin, that I’m unhealthy, and comments like these can become too much for some people- grinding at them until they too begin to believe that something’s wrong with them and that they need to change their eating pattern.

And it’s constant criticism like this that can cause problems, with these comments sometimes leading to bigger and more dangerous problems.

By raising awareness of thin-shaming- and showing that criticising anyone’s body, whether curvy or slim, is still wrong- perhaps we can encourage higher self-esteem, and make sure that people no longer feel insecure of their body, whether they are ‘all about that bass’ or ‘skinny bitches.’

Everyone should love their body, their shape and their size, and reserve the right to not be criticised about anything to do with their body.

Have you experienced body-shaming before? Do you think body positivity is something that needs to be discussed more? What did you think of my thoughts?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x