Unit Two Assignment
The ideal body, in our society, is often touted as not too thin, but certainly not too fat.
Not too hairy, and not too dark skinned. It is important to recognize that bodies come in
all kinds of shapes, sizes, genders, heights, skin tones etc, and that in our society only a
very small portion of humans meet the socialized idea for body type. For now we are
going to focus on Fat Shaming, but please be aware that shaming a person’s body,
regardless of the reasons, is incredibly damaging to their well being.
FAT Shaming is a blatant example of what we teach children about their bodies.
Think about your childhood. Was any child’s diet restricted so they wouldn’t be fat? It is
not uncommon for parents to try to guide a child who is larger in girth than the other
child away from snacks or food that is considered to be higher in calories or sugar, or to
try to ‘fatten up’ a child that is thin with high caloric food. Imagine for a moment the
message this sends, as we tell a child that they should (or should not) eat (that cookie,
cake, candy, ice cream)because it is fattening, PARTICULARLY if this message is not
sent to all the children and only to a specific child.
When we, as adults, worry out loud about our bodies, our caloric intake, we are also
sending a message to the children watching us that fat is wrong, and they too should
worry about their bodies natural build. Even though we know that puberty can add
weight to a child, in preparation of growth, we might still worry and let that worry show.
TV shows, even children’s shows, often contain easily read messages about weight.
The fat person is the comedian, or lazy, or out of work, or unhealthy, while the thin
attractive person is popular, wealthy, and so on.
The same is true for any appearance standard that our society or culture has. We were
socialized to develop the views we have about our own bodies, and about other people.
If we are not careful and self aware we may in turn socialize those around us to have
the same sex negative views.
For the Unit 2 Assignment, examine the impact of one type of body shaming (for being
fat, thin, old, a person of colour, disabled etc). Provide a link to one web article or
support page for your topic, and write a short paragraph about what you learned.