It is not just plus-sized people who are victims of body shaming. Anybody who doesn’t fit the ideal body type is body-shamed by people in our society who constantly find ways to comment upon one’s physical appearance. People who are skinny are also victims of this persistent issue, who are often compared to ‘sticks’ and are asked to eat more to put on some weight. What’s sad is that despite the increasing awareness of body positivity, comments about someone’s weight or body shape are still commonly accepted as normal conversation.
Content creator and actor Dolly Singh recently experienced this firsthand at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s ‘Mangal Utsav’. The event, held on Saturday, was a star-studded affair attended by Bollywood celebrities and content creators alike. Singh, known for her role in Rhea Kapoor’s ‘Thank You For Coming’, shared her experience of being body-shamed on Instagram.
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Sharing her side of the story, Dolly Singh revealed that she was skinny-shamed by a woman who initially praised her work but swiftly turned the conversation to her appearance. Singh recounted, “Good morning! I have to tell you guys about an achievement of mine last night. I met someone who was very sweet in general, saying ‘I watch your work,’ but then instantly it turned into comments about my body.”
The conversation quickly shifted, with the woman commenting, “Aap toh bohot skinny ho yaar real life mein. Aap camere pe toh thik dikhte ho par real life mein aap bohot hi zyada skinny ho (You are so skinny in real life. You look fine on camera but you look so skinny in reality).”
Singh tried to address the inappropriate nature of the comments saying, “You don’t say such things to someone on their face,” to which the woman responded, “No no, I don’t mean it like that, you look so good.”
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She went on to express how such comments trigger her. Even though she is at a good place with her body, being more accepting of what her body looks like and taking care of it, that one comment was enough to ruin half an hour of her day.
Body shaming, whether it is about being too skinny or too overweight, is harmful and unnecessary. It shows how people lack basic decency and respect for other people’s feelings. It’s high time society moves past such harsh judgements and becomes more inclusive and accepting of others.