Body image is a fad that currently shapes society—literally. 89% of girls have dieted by the time they are 17 and 45% of boys and girls in grades 3-6 want to be thinner. With the fear of being “fat” or “ugly”, many adults and children turn to eating disorders to fit the image. In the United States alone, 20 million women and 10 million men will suffer from significant eating disorders at some point in their lives. Not only have these diseases become more prominent, for females between 15 and 24 years old who suffer from anorexia nervosa, the mortality rate associated with the disease is nearly twelve times higher than any other cause of death. I am not promoting the idea that being over- weight is perfectly fine, but body shaming is not. There is a fine line between being in shape and fitting the shape of what society thinks is correct.

A fat acceptance blogger recently created a hashtag #fatmicroagressions, to allow people who have experienced body shaming to share their stories. Some of the stories associated with the tweets are disheartening. “I am constantly underestimated. My intelligence, my strength, my talents, my tenacity, my cleanliness, my humanity.” Melissa McEwan tweeted on December 11, 2013, sharing her experience with body shaming. Phil Prehn tweeted, “Being told your wife is attractive w/ the questioning voice tone clearly implying “How did YOU attract such a beauty.”

Fat shaming or body shaming in general is an every-day occurrence. Not only does body shaming create low self-esteem, poor eating habits, and correct body care, but there seems to be no change in amount that it happens. Every body is a different body with many different cares and need. Placing a stereotype on what a “perfect body” should look like is an unrealistic goal that hurts everyone in the long run.

There is a preconceived idea that shaming people for their weight will in turn cause them to become more motivated to lose the weight. This theory has been endlessly disproven through several studies that show that body shaming in turn only makes people feel bad about themselves, often causing them to turn to food for comfort. During the study, women of all different weights were asked to watch a video that shames people for being fat. After watching the video, 93 women in the overweight category ate more calories and feel less control with their eating. Women in the normal weight category, however, did not.

Playboy model, Dani Mathers, recently posted a “story” on her snapchat of an elderly women undressed in the locker room at a gym. The picture was captioned ‘If I can’t unsee this then you can’t either’. Mathers claimed to only intend to send the picture to her friend, however, the picture quickly made its way around the internet, sparking outrage. Mather’s is now banned from L.A. Fitness gyms across the country and faces potential jail time. The entire situation could have been avoided by simply leaving the women to do her business, instead of posting it on the internet.

There is no excuse or reason for someone to body shame. It creates a series of problems that could have been prevented with the simple elimination of words. There is nothing wrong with not fitting the ideal shape of a “perfect body” and there is nothing wrong with you if you do. However, there is something wrong with thinking that shaming people for their weight is ever OK. Positivity should be spread, especially when it is related to body image. Next time you see someone body shaming, please put a stop to it. The problem is not going to be fixed unless people begin to take a stand on the issue. There is no reason for anyone to body shame, and there is no reason for you to not stop it when you see it.