Like many teens, I was no stranger to the occasional hurtful comments or deliberate bullying. Specifically for an overweight teenager, the struggle of fighting anxiety before every mandatory weight check was an added pile-on over the overtly normalised fat-shaming.
Upon looking back, one of the most important realisations I had was how it would have been easier if I was better at loving and accepting myself the way I was.
Teenage fat-shaming
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Teenage, the gateway to adulthood, is one of the challenging phases in one’s life. From biological changes to varying dynamics in relationships, being a teenager is a time when you are just beginning to get used to the raw ways of life. One of those ways is normalisation of commenting on bodily changes, way of dressing, and appearances in general.
When I look back at my teens, I realise that the fat-shamers, whom I perceived as uncouth individuals, were of no fault of their own. They were merely newly-turned young adults who were in the process of adapting the polite mannerisms of adulthood.
Ignorance about body positivity
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I also realise that I had something in common with my fat-shamers/bullies – ignorance. The way they were ignorant about their conduct, I was ignorant about the profoundness of body positivity and self-love. Had I realised the importance of loving and accepting myself the way I was or would be, I could have snatched the power away from my bullies’ hands.
Body positivity and self-love are positive coping mechanisms
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Although teenage fat-shaming stems from a number of uncontrollable factors, its impact lingers for a long time. It paves the way for self-doubt, low self-esteem, body image issues and confidence later in life. Even after we soldier on through teenage into a fully-functioning adult, we realise that teenage life could have been a lot easier if someone simply versed us with the importance of body positivity and self-love.
It dawned on me that the perception of my body was formed on the basis of what my fat-shamers said during my teenage years. We get fat-shamed even in adulthood but its impact is blunted owing to self-acceptance and self-love we harboured over many years. They enable you to look past the body-shaming comments and focus on your strengths.
Tips to inculcate body positivity at a young age
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To stop teenage body-shaming and prevent its effects that creep in adulthood, it is important to make them gauge the significance of body positivity. They can absorb it by only a few certain ways: –
1. Bust the social media bubble
Teenagers and young adults are impressionable. They are influenced by what they see on social media and are extremely likely to believe everything they see on their screens. Help them understand that the airbrushed images and photoshopped waists can get the best of us.
2. Differentiate ‘fit’ from ‘fiction’
Hold extensive discussions on body positivity and break the perception of ‘fit-equals-no-flab’ idea. Encourage them to have a healthy lifestyle rather than favouring skinny bodies.
3. Lead by example
Practice what you preach. A developing mind always follows what it sees. Set a good example by practising body positivity, calling out fat-shamers, and teaching self-acceptance.
Social and lead images credit: Instagram/saraalikhan95 and Shutterstock
