In “Shaming Fat-Shaming,” Childhood Obesity News observed that vocabulary is a big problem in many areas of contemporary life, to the point where people become frustrated with what they consider to be excessive “political correctness.” We looked at how misunderstandings about terminology by well-meaning people have drawn fire.
Female physicians don’t particularly wish to be known as lady doctors, and plus-size models would rather be just plain models. To Ashley Graham, of Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover fame, the “plus-size” description is isolating.
However, the rest of the world insists upon its right to differentiate between rail-thin models and, you know, the other kind. Apparently there is, within the profession, controversy over what descriptive term would be acceptable.
One problem with the culture’s insistence on fat-shaming is that it encourages a certain type of man to feel entitled to judge and comment on every female figure in sight. Scuzzy dudes boldly rank women by a numerical score, which used to be a habit they kept to themselves. Now, all ids are unleashed and a lot of males are perfectly comfortable making loud proclamations like, “She may be a Minnesota 9, but she’s only a Hollywood 5.”
Resistance
Liz Dwyer opined to TakePart.com that the media’s ubiquitous body-shaming contributes to the misbehavior of men in New York City. Unpleasant encounters are difficult to avoid in the metropolis where very few residents have their own cars, and must endure the vulnerability of walking on streets and using public transportation. For many women, catcalling and more intrusive forms of harassment are everyday occurrences.
The body type favored by fashion magazine editors, and every advertiser in the world, is of a slimness that only 5% of women naturally possess, the writer explains. This is bad news for the vast majority of girls who are at a healthy weight, but grow up expecting to be held to the unrealistic skinny-minnie standard. Of course they stress out about it, and in the years that should be devoted to preparation for self-sufficient adulthood, they are distracted by thoughts of diet products, liposuction and bariatric surgery.
Two summers ago, when a rash of what Dwyer calls “body-shaming promotions” showed up in New York City’s buses and subway cars, two groups, National Women’s Liberation and Redstockings of the Women’s Liberation Movement, made their displeasure known.
In the grand old tradition of “billboard correction” committees, the groups resurrected a slogan first used in 1969 and had stickers printed up emblazoned with the words “This Oppresses Women.” These stickers were liberally applied to the offending posters, and their reach was multiplied by social media photo sharing. New York was not the only locus of activity.
Dwyer wrote about the beach-body promotions:
In April in the United Kingdom, the ads sparked a protest in London’s Hyde Park and led to commuters’ defacing them across the city’s subway system. After receiving more than 350 complaints, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority said in a statement that it was yanking the ads from London Underground trains and stations “due to our concerns about a range of health and weight loss claims made in the ad.”
But, really, chalk it up to the angry women.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “The Clever Way Women Are Striking Back Against Body-Shaming Ads,” TakePart.com, 06/25/15
Image by @AnnieTummino
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