In the fall of 2018, I did a textile art project with a group of young teenaged girls. Over the span of two month, they each made a textile collage themed around dress codes, clothing norms and body image. It was enlightening and very interesting to hear about their thoughts and experiences.

The resulting pieces were strong and personal takes on clothing and norms, bullying and choices. We exhibited them at our local library for a month.

When we got the prompt “Shame”, that was where my thoughts went. In our society, if a person’s body doesn’t conform to the female or male ideal that is propagated, they can have a hard time. The definition of body shaming is “mocking or deriding a person because of their appearance”.  It can lead to low self-esteem, insecurity, anxiety, depression or eating disorders. The shame gets internalized and consequently, the person suffers.

In my research, I discovered that scientists even developed something called Body Image Guilt and Shame Scale (BIGSS) to measure to what extent people are affected by body image concerns. It is mostly used in conjunction with eating disorders.

To be ashamed of one’s appearance is sad and unhealthy. Especially for teenagers, this form of shame can influence their wellbeing and even lay the foundation for future health problems, mentally or physically. There is still much work to do to stop body shaming and promote self-acceptance and self-love.