OPINION | Vele, why is body shaming still a thing in 2021?

It’s a wonder and a mystery to me that in 2021 body shaming is still a trending topic in Mzansi. I thought we were heading in the right direction when we started seeing plus- size women modelling and we were hailing the progress made, but maybe that’s the thing, the reform didn’t need to happen in mainstream media, it needed to happen in our minds.

This year has been heavy with trolls just heaving their way with words about other women’s bodies. The whispering in the taxis if your outfit is not approved by them, the awkward stares and the little snide remarks. The questions laced with a bit of fun and banter, but you know deep down you are being mocked ... this is the kind of pain and humiliation some women live with daily. 

Women from all walks of life have been on the receiving end of vile body shaming trolls and female celebrities were not spared. DJ Lamiez Holworthy, Makhadzi, Sophie Lichaba and Tumi Morake are just a few that come to mind.

These women have been dragged and ridiculed, and people have enjoyed a good laugh at their expense. Old and young people alike have engaged in the distasteful “sport” that sees them go out of their way to point out someone’s weight, their cellulite or even the pigmentation of their thighs, knowing full well that some of these issues may be sensitive matters and points of insecurities for others.

The dictionary explanation of body shaming is the action or practice of humiliating someone by making mocking or critical comments about their body shape or size. 

As a young black woman raised around women of all shapes and sizes, I find it distasteful that there are people who are still policing women, that in this day and age we still need to tell people to be considerate and not shame someone for the colour of their inner thighs, or the cellulite on our skin. 

Body shaming creates deep scars. That there are people now resorting to using detergent meant to clean appliances and are applying it on their body for “fast” results, shows just how drastic the situation has become.

I also get how complex this issue is because my lived experience is not the same as yours. But drawing on the humanity card, surely that should help you toe the line and respect people, because if you think about it, “why can’t we just let people be?” Allow people to exist on this earth as they are?

Imagine your sister, cousin or daughter being constantly told to cover up or wear long trousers or skirts because nobody wants to see their cellulite, or being told they have big thighs and are laughed at. Imagine them being told that because they have “dark inner thighs” they don’t bath. Imagine a little girl committing suicide because you insisted on telling her how “not perfect” she is...

We know trolls hide behind their keyboards or parody accounts on social media and believe that makes them untouchable. However, I’m appealing to you human to human, please think before you humiliate someone else.