
When the phrase/word, ‘Body Shaming’, comes to mind, it is usually assumed that the victims are people on the larger end of the scale, otherwise known as ‘fat-shaming’. “Body shaming” is the act of humiliating someone for their size.
For years, there has been word put out there to stand that fat-shaming is wrong. Like the writer of an article I read HERE, ‘People say I should be happy to be thin, but it’s hard to be when I am judged for my size’. I feel exactly the same way.
No one should be made to feel inhumane because of their size. My question, however, is, if fat-shaming is not okay, should skinny shaming be okay? Some even ask, ‘Is skinny shaming even a thing?’
PS: THIS MIGHT BE A LONG READ!
I was not born with more bones than flesh. In fact, I was a chubby kid- like most kids. I saw my one-year-old birthday picture and my cheeks were ever so flourishing and my mini teeth flashing to Abba in the sky.
I do not know when I started to lose the flesh I had gathered as a child but I must have lost it after my very active growing years. I have had job opportunities denied me because in their words, ‘I don’t look like I can do the job’.
A few days ago, the Principal of the school where I was posted for NYSC and I got talking, and the discussion travelled to me doing a Masters Degree in Advertising/Brand Management. He went, ‘do you really have the strength for that? You know you don’t really have energy like your other corper friend.’ I just smiled casually, in the absence of a polite reply to give him.
I have given up on finding my perfect size of clothes in stores, trying to gain weight and have I mentioned the most annoying question of all that I get asked all the time, ‘do you eat at all?’. Let me answer that now. I eat A LOT, more than most people think I do and probably more than those even asking me.
People come around me and hold my hands like they’re holding an onion ring and I’m just there wondering which would be better to do, hit them on the face or simply smile and tell them I don’t like it. I usually do the latter because in all honesty, who fighting don epp? I’m not usually the aggressive type so why even go that road? , before someone will say, ‘you don’t have meat on your body and you’re fighting lol.
I’ve had a guy say directly to my face, that I’m not his ‘type’ cuz I don’t have very obvious curves, ass and boobs. Have I mentioned the numerous nicknames like, ‘lepa straw’, ‘slegoo’, ‘one ookan’, and so much more? Oh, I failed to mention how some people have tried to bully me just because I’m skinny and they think they can ‘break’ me. Thank God for solid self-esteem, I probably would be hiding in rabbit holes for fear of harassment.
Are our families supportive? Maybe not all. People forget that there’s such thing called ‘Genes’. In my own case, my grandmother isn’t on the big side neither is my father and I look exactly like them. so, why shame me for something I have little or no control over?
styled by @bettyfayonner, photographed by @smoothpixelphotography both on Instagram.
I discovered a few ladies who have gone through similar situations so I have sought their inputs on this topic. They are all creatives and have a lot to say about Skinny Shaming.
Tee is a fashion blogger who blogs at DIVE INTO MAUVE

She had this to say,
‘At the risk of sounding like an athlete in misery Olympics, I’d like to point out that slim people get body shamed just as much as fat people.
I’ve had one too many experiences where someone would make a comment like “eat something” or “are you watching your bones or you know, something just as crude.
To them, it’s a harmless joke but when you hear that over and over and over again, it makes you start to feel self-aware and subsequently, insecure about your weight.
An experience that stands out for me is one from about seven years ago when I met my ex’s mum for the first (and only time). She called him aside and asked him if he was sure I wasn’t terminally ill. I don’t know if she wanted me to hear her but I did and I almost gagged on my food. I knew right then that relationship wasn’t going to work.
Recently, I met someone who casually joked that his mum would worry about whether I’d be capable of having kids because I’m so slim. I told him I wasn’t interested in meeting his mother.
I could go on and on. The truth is people are insensitive and it’s absolutely unfair.
You don’t know if the person you’re making fun of has an eating disorder. You don’t know if he/she has been struggling to add weight. You don’t know if that’s how he/she has chosen to be.
In all honesty, it’s not your business. Just let people be’.
Tomi Ayanleke is a model. She also has a YouTube Channel which you can watch HERE
Tomi made me roll in laughter with her words,
‘Body shaming to me has to be when an individual comments or passes across insensitive statements regarding my body size or figure. I’m not one to take things overly personal but the one thing I hate the most is when I get asked, ‘Do you eat’. It is pretty disturbing, cause it indirectly says I’m either looking malnourished or Anorexic which isn’t what it is. My opinion, ‘ask better questions or give compliments that make the other want to open up about how they are that skinny /slim in my context’.
Honestly, maybe I just take in air to survive cause that ‘do you eat’ question is not acceptable.’
Last but not the least is Toyin popularly known as Muuchinto on social media.
She blogs at TOYIN WITH FASHION and had a really resonating view on Skinny Shaming:
‘I see Body shaming as mocking/criticising someone based on their body size.
So everyone knows about/agrees that fat shaming is not good but nobody really recognises that skinny shaming is actually a thing and is just as bad as fat shaming.
As an African woman, being skinny is seen as not being a real woman and you can argue with me all you want but the truth remains that
our culture glorifies curvy women and see them as the ideal rather than being skinny. Why? Because “men like something to grab on to”? Because what makes you different from a man when you barely have any boobs or ass to save your life.
One would think that in 2017, people are not as ignorant of the fact that more often than not a really skinny person is not skinny by choice. It is the genes, could be an eating disorder also.
To be honest, I have been skinny shamed all my life. It happens every day and it’s something I’ve learnt to live with but it shouldn’t be so.
No day passes without someone asking me if I’ve had anything to eat bear in mind that this same person saw me eating maybe some minutes ago but they just choose to point out how skinny I am. People call you anorexic, say how are you ever going to carry a child, etc and you just wonder, ‘are people really blind to the fact that these comments are actually insulting?’
Real skinny people don’t look like the girls in magazines, they also have health issues just as fat people do, they never really find their cloth sizes at stores, they are not able to wear certain things cause of their size, and the list goes on and on.
We have all these real-life problems so I wonder why its okay to skinny shame and not okay to fat shame! Body shaming is the same whether fat or skinny and should be stopped because women are so much more than their body size’.
In a nutshell, skinny shaming is not cool. It would be more appreciated to just deep your hand in your pocket and send a skinny person a plate of Jollof Rice, rice rather than passing to them, hurtful comments wrapped in an unsolicited opinion.
WORD FOR THE DAY
“I praise you because
I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
(Psalm 139:14)
Quick Stop: What’s your opinion on Skinny Shaming? Let’s have a chit chat in the comments’ section below.
wow, this is great to read, to be honest, i wouldnt ever have thought I had done something harmful if I made a comment like Lepa or something else… But this is one eye opener.
One time, my kid sister who was 6 at the time wrapped her palm around my skinny female friend’s hand and said… “you are like stick o, my hand can cover your hand”
Well, she got beat that day… And this is an importan
Lmaooo, I hope she learns her lesson. Thanks for sharing, Charles xoxo
T lesson for us, not everything should be said, respect people with your words
By the way in NYSC camp I legit won “Natural DJ” award because I stuttered badly, was only allowed to write news not broadcast it, not like I wanted to.
I still have the award, and as funny as it gets, it wasn’t funny.
Oh my! That’s so hurtful. It’s not funny at all. You, my friend, are awesome, no matter what anyone says. thanks for reading xx
Girllll! I can so relate to this post, not only have I gotten the skinny shaming treatment, I also get the height shaming as well 😂
Seriously though, every kind of shaming is absolutely wrong! Some people just open their mouths without thinking, but thank God for self love and confidence, it cannot be overemphasised.
Just imagine someone asking me if my legs are on diet??? I mean!
Waaaawu, if your legs are on diet. Jesu mi o lol. Thanks for sharing, my love.
My darling Tosin you’re blessed ooo plus you look so gorgeous in these photos. See me I’ve “Gba kamu” over this body weight thing. If it’s gonna happen it will happen. I actually make jokes about my own weight before people do so that keeps them in check and if you think I don’t eat enough please come and sponsor. My meals I’ll be so grateful.
Plus i feel it’s more of an African thing sef.
Thanks for reading, gurl. That ‘sponsor my meals’ in your comment is very important lol
Hmmm…. I agree with you, I remember when I was in primary school, I was very skinny and the boys will explore all opportunity to call me names… But now I’m enjoying my lepa body…smiles…
lepa for the win. Cheers, Dami x
I used to be among the ignorant population that didn’t know about skinny shaming. I always thought body shaming was for the fat people till sometime last year when I got to dragged on Twitter for calling someone thin which I honestly thought was a harmless comment. I really felt felt bad and realized how hurtful it was. I hope other people learn to understand that people don’t choose body sizes.
Thanks so much for reading ma’am. People really do need to be informed on these things. God bless xx
Thank you! thank you! You just filled my heart with Hope and reasons to raise my head up high. it’s funny how I nicknamed myself ‘Bigi’ and people are like, ‘why are you deceiving yourself?’ And I say “it’s not about the container, but the content”.
Right say, I hope?
You are very right girl. Big things come in small packages. Thanks for reading, darling xx.
It makes me feel sick to my stomach that you were bullied for your size, but it also makes me feel like I’m not alone. I was also bullied for being skinny. I do think skinny-shaming is very much a thing and an issue. But I don’t think we should compare it to fat-shaming. I don’t think we should compare either. Both are awful things to bestow onto people. So rather than putting our energy into debating which is worse, as women, we should come together to try to end all body-shaming. I love this post and I really love that you incorporated other women’s stories into it, too. This is a powerful message, thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for reading xx