BREAKING STIGMAS
ON MIND AND BODY
Feel safe. Feel supported
Never feel alone.
ON MIND AND BODY
Feel safe. Feel supported
Never feel alone.
Body Talk is an online platform that breaks stigmas on Mental Health and redefines Body Image by spreading awareness through open conversations, shared experiences, education, resources, support, creativity and collaboration.
By choosing healthy over skinny, you are choosing self love over self- judgment. By doing so you are choosing yourself, you're mental and physical health, and your confidence over the world’s preconceived ideals and pressures. When you’re healthy, your skin glows, your hair is healthier, your mind is more positive, you think more clearly, and your self-esteem is much higher. Choose you, not society’s/media’s opinions on what’s beautiful. Healthy is what’s beautiful and wanted, always.
Sometimes self harm comes from numbness. Instead of thinking the person is crazy, getting angry or saying words that can cause more harm than comfort, the most important thing is to understand the reason behind it, to make the person feel understood (even if you don’t understand it yourself). That’s what empathy is and it should be applied even more in situations that seem extreme.
© Body Talk
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Body image is what a person perceives about their physical body through thoughts and feelings about it. Body image isn’t only about what the person thinks and feels; it is also based on the interaction and attitude the person has towards others. When a person criticises himself/herself
or others on their physical appearance, it causes harm to the person’s mental health. Whether it is a small comment or a harsh one, we can never know how it effects the person.
It’s crucial to be aware of our words and pay attention to the harshness and the heaviness when they are used.
Here are shared stories and body shaming comments people have faced in their life. After reading this, I hope you grow more consious of what you say.
︎︎︎ back
I think my height has always somehow made me feel insecure. People have commented, cracked or just questioned it way too many times. I do think its less as compared to what was when I was growing up.
I've experienced comments from family about my figure since I start gaining weight. I don't understand why it's okay to comment on how someone else looks whatever size they might be.
I was body shamed in school for being fat by a few boys and it made me insecure about my body for life.
“I am not so confident with my legs so unlike every girl, I consiously don’t wear shorts.”
"I was shamed when my boobs started growing in school, by guys and girls. I freaked out myself cause no one talks to you about how your body is going to change when you’re that young. The boys used to draw mountains in my notebooks and point at my boobs and laugh. The girls made fun of me for wearing a bra. Idiots. I was so ashamed I developed a hunch because of the way I used to walk ( walking straight made them look bigger)."
"I think my height has always somehow made me feel insecure. People have commented, cracked or just questioned it way too many times. I do think it's less as compared to what was when I was growing up."
Everybody always keeps joking about how skinny I am without realising that it is a type of body shaming too. It hurts a lot.
"I've experienced comments from family about my figure since I start gaining weight. I don't understand why it's okay to comment on how someone else looks whatever size they might be"
I was body shamed in school for being fat by a few boys and it made me insecure about my body for life.
All my friends love my body structure as I have a narrow waist and a curvy butt, but when I look in the mirror I don’t understand how a person can find such an uneven figure so attractive.
Before I went to college, I had a very fit figure. Once I went to United States of America to study,I put on the “Freshmen 15” in my first year. When I came back for my break, everyone called me fat and asked who I ate in college.
People don’t like giving importance to obese people. When in reality, they are just like any other girl, except fat. I’m somewhat comfortable in my body but I’ve always felt like
the society wants me to be uncomfortable.My crush of 2 years didn’t accept me. Why? Because I’m fat. His now ex - girl friend, used to forward him many of my texts. She used to ask me what to send and my messages and thoughts were the main reason why he loved her. So clearly he didn’t like me because I am fat.
I've experienced comments from family about my figure since I start gaining weight. I don't understand why it's okay to comment on how someone else looks whatever size they might be.
I was body shamed in school for being fat by a few boys and it made me insecure about my body for life.
“I am not so confident with my legs so unlike every girl, I consiously don’t wear shorts.”
"I was shamed when my boobs started growing in school, by guys and girls. I freaked out myself cause no one talks to you about how your body is going to change when you’re that young. The boys used to draw mountains in my notebooks and point at my boobs and laugh. The girls made fun of me for wearing a bra. Idiots. I was so ashamed I developed a hunch because of the way I used to walk ( walking straight made them look bigger)."
"I think my height has always somehow made me feel insecure. People have commented, cracked or just questioned it way too many times. I do think it's less as compared to what was when I was growing up."
Everybody always keeps joking about how skinny I am without realising that it is a type of body shaming too. It hurts a lot.
"I've experienced comments from family about my figure since I start gaining weight. I don't understand why it's okay to comment on how someone else looks whatever size they might be"
I was body shamed in school for being fat by a few boys and it made me insecure about my body for life.
All my friends love my body structure as I have a narrow waist and a curvy butt, but when I look in the mirror I don’t understand how a person can find such an uneven figure so attractive.
Before I went to college, I had a very fit figure. Once I went to United States of America to study,I put on the “Freshmen 15” in my first year. When I came back for my break, everyone called me fat and asked who I ate in college.
People don’t like giving importance to obese people. When in reality, they are just like any other girl, except fat. I’m somewhat comfortable in my body but I’ve always felt like
the society wants me to be uncomfortable.My crush of 2 years didn’t accept me. Why? Because I’m fat. His now ex - girl friend, used to forward him many of my texts. She used to ask me what to send and my messages and thoughts were the main reason why he loved her. So clearly he didn’t like me because I am fat.
A friend told me "Do you workout?", I said "Yes". He said "Maybe then you need to change your workout, cause you look bigger than your friends".
Yes, I have felt like my body was too large and I was taking up too m h space. a i’ve thought at least if I’m skinny, that’s one less thing to worry about. The worst part is, I am a perfectly healthy girl and live in a societally acceptable body. My insecurities have just translated to my body and appearance.
My older sisters friend in 5th grade said to me 'you are a black cat' cause of my skin color randomly in the school reception once, he in school occassionally playfully joked about my skin color and compared my body parts like hand or leg to his "lighter" one, my dadi without realising equates fair with beautiful (denies it if you point out her words as that is not what she meant, but she's old I understand - but don't agree), I personally am insecure of the darkness just below my butt. But I still buy all swim suits that are cheeky cause now I can't help it much. I used to also be insecure of my stretch marks on the sides of my butt but now I'm okay with it. I am aware I am blessed with a body that society deems pretty and that is abled I thank God I am healthy but I sill find myself being very critical of my stomach or butt and how they look in dresses. And I hate that I hunch but that is a bad habit but I care for it more cause it appears bad (more that the health implications, dare I say it).
Everybody always keeps joking about how skinny I am without realising that it is a type of body shaming too. It hurts a lot.
My mother asked me not to wear shorts because it looks bad on my fat thighs.
All my friends love my body structure as I have a narrow waist and a curvy butt, but when I look in the mirror I don’t understand how a person can find
such an uneven figure so attractive.
It took me a long time to get over the microaggressions that come with being shorter than most other people. Being short and skinny for most of my life, it felt really hard to fit in with any group of people because I would always be so conscious of being so small.
I’ve been called too skinny or even too chubby. This is usually by people who think it’s acceptable to comment on my appearance regard- less of how well I know them.
Yes, I have felt like my body was too large and I was taking up too m h space. a i’ve thought at least if I’m skinny, that’s one less thing to worry about. The worst part is, I am a perfectly healthy girl and live in a societally acceptable body. My insecurities have just translated to my body and appearance.
Yes, I have felt like my body was too large and I was taking up too m h space. a i’ve thought at least if I’m skinny, that’s one less thing to worry about. The worst part is, I am a perfectly healthy girl and live in a societally acceptable body. My insecurities have just translated to my body and appearance.
My older sisters friend in 5th grade said to me 'you are a black cat' cause of my skin color randomly in the school reception once, he in school occassionally playfully joked about my skin color and compared my body parts like hand or leg to his "lighter" one, my dadi without realising equates fair with beautiful (denies it if you point out her words as that is not what she meant, but she's old I understand - but don't agree), I personally am insecure of the darkness just below my butt. But I still buy all swim suits that are cheeky cause now I can't help it much. I used to also be insecure of my stretch marks on the sides of my butt but now I'm okay with it. I am aware I am blessed with a body that society deems pretty and that is abled I thank God I am healthy but I sill find myself being very critical of my stomach or butt and how they look in dresses. And I hate that I hunch but that is a bad habit but I care for it more cause it appears bad (more that the health implications, dare I say it).
Everybody always keeps joking about how skinny I am without realising that it is a type of body shaming too. It hurts a lot.
My mother asked me not to wear shorts because it looks bad on my fat thighs.
All my friends love my body structure as I have a narrow waist and a curvy butt, but when I look in the mirror I don’t understand how a person can find
such an uneven figure so attractive.
It took me a long time to get over the microaggressions that come with being shorter than most other people. Being short and skinny for most of my life, it felt really hard to fit in with any group of people because I would always be so conscious of being so small.
I’ve been called too skinny or even too chubby. This is usually by people who think it’s acceptable to comment on my appearance regard- less of how well I know them.
Yes, I have felt like my body was too large and I was taking up too m h space. a i’ve thought at least if I’m skinny, that’s one less thing to worry about. The worst part is, I am a perfectly healthy girl and live in a societally acceptable body. My insecurities have just translated to my body and appearance.
I don't think I have felt insecure about my body. While I have a far from the ideal body as ascribed by media and popular culture, any feedback or comments that I have received from friends & family about my body have been health centric.
It took me a long time to get over the microaggressions that come with being shorter than most other people. Being short and skinny for most of my life, it felt really hard to fit in with any group of people because I would always be so conscious of being so small.
I was shamed when my boobs started growing in school, by guys and girls. I freaked out myself cause no one talks to you about how your body is going to change when you’re that young. The boys used to draw mountains in my notebooks and point at my boobs and laugh. The girls made fun of me for wearing a bra. Idiots. I was so ashamed I developed a hunch because of the way I used to walk ( walking straight made them look bigger).
Last year I decided to change my body but I did it in the wrnog way.I started eating very little food parallel to going to the gym which resulted in my losing 8 kg in two months which was extremely unhealthy for my height(1,66) since I weighted 46 kg.Generally my period stopped,my relationship with food was unhealthy,I was constantly cold,I grew more body hair and I looked really sick,which was something that everyone told me,and I still thought that I needed to lose more weight.Fortunately a doctor talked to me and I understood what was happening so I started eating based on plan to gain weight bust still I was afraid of eating and putting on more weight and I felt really insecure which led to obsessive exercising and many hours of crying and feeling awful about myself.After approximately 6 months I started understanding how I need to eat and exercise in order to be healthy and also that our bodies change so much and there is no perfect body only a healthy one.Now I am finally better and I am comfortable in talking about my Ed and want to help other people.I still have some crises and feel insecure but eventually I'll be fine.Finally my goal is to become fitter and stronger and have a healthy body and mindset and I'm working towards that.
I was thin till 12th beginning but due to the pressure I started gaining weight and when I gained weight, the entire reaction was extremely negative. I was even suddenly given tips to gain back my shape by a lot of people.
It took me a long time to get over the microaggressions that come with being shorter than most other people. Being short and skinny for most of my life, it felt really hard to fit in with any group of people because I would always be so conscious of being so small.
I was shamed when my boobs started growing in school, by guys and girls. I freaked out myself cause no one talks to you about how your body is going to change when you’re that young. The boys used to draw mountains in my notebooks and point at my boobs and laugh. The girls made fun of me for wearing a bra. Idiots. I was so ashamed I developed a hunch because of the way I used to walk ( walking straight made them look bigger).
Last year I decided to change my body but I did it in the wrnog way.I started eating very little food parallel to going to the gym which resulted in my losing 8 kg in two months which was extremely unhealthy for my height(1,66) since I weighted 46 kg.Generally my period stopped,my relationship with food was unhealthy,I was constantly cold,I grew more body hair and I looked really sick,which was something that everyone told me,and I still thought that I needed to lose more weight.Fortunately a doctor talked to me and I understood what was happening so I started eating based on plan to gain weight bust still I was afraid of eating and putting on more weight and I felt really insecure which led to obsessive exercising and many hours of crying and feeling awful about myself.After approximately 6 months I started understanding how I need to eat and exercise in order to be healthy and also that our bodies change so much and there is no perfect body only a healthy one.Now I am finally better and I am comfortable in talking about my Ed and want to help other people.I still have some crises and feel insecure but eventually I'll be fine.Finally my goal is to become fitter and stronger and have a healthy body and mindset and I'm working towards that.
I was thin till 12th beginning but due to the pressure I started gaining weight and when I gained weight, the entire reaction was extremely negative. I was even suddenly given tips to gain back my shape by a lot of people.
Some people used to call me fat in the past and since 2 years ago I've been feeling really insecure about my body and I still feel insecure really often but I'm trying to get over it.
Yes, mine is the opposite to the usual. Always been small and as a child I was skinny, I still remember going on a lovely bike ride with my dad and some kids said out loud: look at the matchstick riding a bike. It hurt. But as I grew up and I noticed how girls my age had body image issues, I haven't complained for being small.
“I am a very body conscious person, so I eat healthy
and excessively workout at the gym. Since I am short, I can never get the perfect long legs I’ve always admired and that makes me feel very conscious even though I am very fit and have muscles.”
“I haven’t always been thin. I was really fat in school and I was called names be- cause I was on the healthy side. People wouldn’t even want to hang out with me because I looked fat and ugly, but ever since I lost weight in the 11th grade people started talking to me and said I looked good. I didn’t really like the fact that people didn’t want
to speak to me because I was fat, even today a lot of people who are on the fat side or are not even so fat are called names and are humiliated.”
At every family event, all my relatives always asked me how my weight loss process was going and that I would find a husband only if I became thin and pretty.
I have been called flat, skinny, anorexic, bulimic, cardboard like etc.
I love sports and I’ve always found myself to be athletic. But during football try-outs in school, some- one said that I was too fat to run fast so I should not even bother trying out.
When I take pictures with my friends, I always feel like they look thinner than me. It makes me feel very insecure, so I ask them to edit the image or re-take it.
People keep pointing out how either my hips are too wide or my breasts are bigger than others.
When I used to be overweight, I got made fun of all the time. When I
lost weight, people started calling me skinny. I’ve been trying to find a middle ground but every time I look at myself, I just hate what I see.
Yes, mine is the opposite to the usual. Always been small and as a child I was skinny, I still remember going on a lovely bike ride with my dad and some kids said out loud: look at the matchstick riding a bike. It hurt. But as I grew up and I noticed how girls my age had body image issues, I haven't complained for being small.
“I am a very body conscious person, so I eat healthy
and excessively workout at the gym. Since I am short, I can never get the perfect long legs I’ve always admired and that makes me feel very conscious even though I am very fit and have muscles.”
“I haven’t always been thin. I was really fat in school and I was called names be- cause I was on the healthy side. People wouldn’t even want to hang out with me because I looked fat and ugly, but ever since I lost weight in the 11th grade people started talking to me and said I looked good. I didn’t really like the fact that people didn’t want
to speak to me because I was fat, even today a lot of people who are on the fat side or are not even so fat are called names and are humiliated.”
At every family event, all my relatives always asked me how my weight loss process was going and that I would find a husband only if I became thin and pretty.
I have been called flat, skinny, anorexic, bulimic, cardboard like etc.
I love sports and I’ve always found myself to be athletic. But during football try-outs in school, some- one said that I was too fat to run fast so I should not even bother trying out.
When I take pictures with my friends, I always feel like they look thinner than me. It makes me feel very insecure, so I ask them to edit the image or re-take it.
People keep pointing out how either my hips are too wide or my breasts are bigger than others.
When I used to be overweight, I got made fun of all the time. When I
lost weight, people started calling me skinny. I’ve been trying to find a middle ground but every time I look at myself, I just hate what I see.