Victims. Survivors

 Every day hundreds of men and women, leave home unaware of a virus 

lurking in the corner. 

Body shaming is one of the major challenges an average human faces. It is the conscious and unconscious criticism of one's body or that of others. 

The past 

Body shaming , has existed since the primitive age. Men with broad chests,  females with wider hips were more favoured . Those who didn't fonform to this were often left in the most unsuitable places in the caves and were treated lesser than their counterparts.

The present

Fast forward to the 21st century, where we no longer have to hold spares to chase after dinner.  One would think civilization would bring an end to the favour that having a certain body type provided in time past.  Tummy tucks,  breast enlargement , plastic surgeries are the other of the day for those who can afford it  while Magazines , billboards and mobile apps say otherwise as they promise magic formulas that would help one get the body one desires without breaking the bank.

The effect

From protein shakes , to frequent hospital trips. Body shaming isn't without it's effect. The biggest and scariest being insecurity

Victims and survivors

 A  few Nigerian youths decided to share their body shaming stories with us.

 In an interview with Dairo Emmanuel, Damilola Fakomi a 22 year old Nigerian talks about her body shaming experience .

"People tell me I loose weight almost every day I get a random person to say "Dammy aren't you eating"   Oh well, I used to be affected emotionally,psychologically, I used to cry,try to eat more, use drugs and all just to add weight 

However, things like that didn't work 

And when I realize people won't stop talking about my size I decided to begin to tell them to their face to mind their business and develop a new kinda self love for my body."

Damilola Fakomi

 

 Oreoluwa Ogunsolu,  a 23 year old Nigerian narrates her ordeal via audio https://audiomack.com/abiodunoluwatosin2019/song/mini-projecf

The truth

Dr Aina Funke of  Clinix Healthcare said "
 Body fat has been an issue of discussion in the medical world . For a long time,  body fat was considered unhealthy but what most people do not realize the body fat differs based on age sex and height. BMI ( body mass index)  makes it easy for one to know if their healthy or not by calculating the body fat of an individual.  It is the idea that a certain weight should be dreaded that has led to  body shaming . Those who are body shamed suffer from either anorexia nervousa :which is the lack,  loss of appetite or  bulimia, nervous and serious eating disorder marked by bingeing, followed by methods to avoid weight gain.Bulimia is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder. "