It seems we are currently in the midst of another net-perpetuated phenomena: modern-day Body Shaming. With the preponderance of selfies, over-wrought and over-used Instagram accounts, and any and all celebrities posting the most private of pictures of themselves daily (putting paparazzi to shame in fact), it becomes a cart-before-horse question if naked pics are fueling the mocking of those pics, or the pics are the result of the mocking, or…
Yes, it does get very confusing, doesn’t it?
‘Shaming’ of the human body can be traced way back, specifically to the mid-19th century, as author Amy Farrell states in her Fat Shame: Sitgma and the Fat Body. Farrell’s claim is that when the first modern dieting book was published, the shaming began. Body shape and size (and mainly female body shape and size) became scrutinized, standards determined and those ladies who did not fall into considered societal norms, mocked. Running exhibits like our Suds and Smiles, our obviously consistent sex positive approach to the human body and all its wonders, we don’t take well to anyone mocking anyone else for any reason at all.
But…
It seems recent shaming (if one could even call it shaming as Farrell explores) seems to come not so much over body size (though yes, there is lots of that still to be sure), but from the preponderance of nudity we are all being treated to. This point was made clearly when just two weeks ago breaker-of-the-net Kim Kardashian put a naked selfie of herself on her Instagram account, captioned: “When you’re like I have nothing to wear LOL.” Criticism came in waves immediately, the most popular of which was a comment Bette Milder made, plus there were parody shots taken and posted. But it seemed less that people were pointing our imperfections of Kim, as they were just kinda of tried of seeing her naked…yet again. Now just this week, Kim shot back posting a topless pic with “Blurred Lines” girl Emily Ratajowski (equally topless), both ladies with their middle fingers raised in solidary.
If a Kim Kardashian wants to post naked pics on Instagram (or anywhere else) of course we are all for it…and hell, she does look pretty darn curvy to be sure! But Kim and every other A, B and no-list celeb needs to realize that if you put ‘it’ out there, somebody might just have something to say about ‘it,’ especially if you put ‘it’ out there with a regularity that some could argue borders on a fetish for exhibitionism.
Really, mocking Kim’s need for attention might not be body shaming, just a question of: ‘Just cause we can, should we?’
