It’s okay to post criticism about a celeb’s or influencer’s personality quirks, but holy hell if their body is shamed.
It’s always open season to insult or snark about one’s personality, but body shaming is forbidden in many reddit subs, even called “grotesque” by those who can’t bear to read such comments.
These same moderators and visitors will allow endless threads of fun-poking at the subject’s home décor choices, clothing style, even hand position on a product they sponsor. What’s going on here?
What kind of deranged world do we live in, where it’s acceptable, even encouraged, to insult harmless elements of an individual’s personality – including how “gross” their homemade dinner looks in an Instagram story – yet make one remark about how they shouldn’t wear a midriff, and you’ll get a warning after your comment gets deleted by a moderator.
The strange thing here is that one cannot alter their personality. Yes, they can change their attitude (e.g., dial down the arrogance or entitlement).
But if their home décor looks like they think that white, beige and brown are the only colors in the universe, they can’t change this preference.
If they believe their homemade dish looks scrumptious and decide to show it on Instagram or TikTok, it’s pretty darned venomous to post how “disgusting” and “icky” it looks.
The irony is that, in the reddit snark thread from which the above screenshot comments were taken, the moderators freely allow criticism of the influencer’s husband’s forehead — which he can’t exercise into a more becoming appearance. This is hypocrisy.
Shaming Comes in Different Flavors Including Incredibly Petty
So yeah, let’s just keep on personality shaming, right down to how someone walks, how they talk, how they apply eye makeup, how they coordinate the colors of their clothes, how their hair is “so 2002,” yet you’re an evil villain if you comment that their thighs are looking puffy lately.
Certainly, I’m not saying we should embrace body shaming. Rather, I’m questioning why is there this double standard?
When I posted a video of myself on YouTube, someone said my makeup looked like my 10-year-old niece put it on.
Though my feelings weren’t affected (really, should I care what some stranger thinks of my makeup?), it made me reflect upon how this same person might have never dared criticize someone’s body weight.
You’d think that anyone who’d poke fun at someone’s subtly-applied makeup (yes, my makeup was barely noticeable) would be full-on capable of body shaming.
But truth is, the reddit site contradicts this assumption. I’ve read countless posts on influencer snark subs.
Any level of body shaming (overweight, weight gain, flab) of that influencer or celeb is often quickly called out, yet everything else under the sun – that can possibly be shamed – is commented upon.
This includes, for instance, labeling a woman a slob just because there’s “something” on their kitchen floor. Like, heaven forbid if before you begin filming, you didn’t make sure not a single tiny thing was visible on your floor.
Heaven forbid if there’s a crinkle on their bed cover, or a wall hanging is a little crooked.
Women will get shamed for their laugh (how it sounds, how frequent it occurs), too much use of their hands when speaking, how they move their feet when jogging, a sweat spot on their behind, how their hair looks unbrushed or unwashed, how big their feet look, you name it. But mention their body weight? You’re cruel.
There was even a post criticizing that an influencer punched each of three new pillows after setting them on a sofa. WTF – I myself have punched pillows! It plumps them up; hello?
We can change our attitude, but we can’t change our personalities.
In fact, it’s a lot easier to lose 20 pounds and tighten and tone one’s middle than it is to adopt a style of mannerisms, speech, body gestures and overall personality that will satisfy thousands of visitors to one’s account.
I’m not saying we should abolish personality shaming, because that’s an extremely unrealistic goal. Seems that humans are hardwired to make fun of those who “put themselves out there.”
Instead, I’m posing a million-dollar question: Why is personality shaming accepted, even encouraged, while body shaming is treated as a heinous crime?
This question rings loud in my ears perhaps because I’m on the Autism Spectrum.
It’s easy to switch to more stylish clothes, or drop some hefty pounds and tone up the body. But yeah, go ahead, try to freaking change your personality and how you think and see the world!
