Body shaming is a persistent and deeply concerning issue that continues to invade society despite many attempts to foster body positivity and acceptance.
We live in a world where Facetune and filters are the new normal, where Photoshop is used in advertisements more and more. These occurrences have played a role in sustaining unattainable beauty ideals, intensifying the brutal struggle against body shaming.
Platforms such as Instagram and X (formally twitter), are hellbent on commenting on celebrities’ weight. Taking to comments to shame the famous at any time, with no consideration for anyone’s feelings at all.
Instagram - JorjaSmith
In the past few weeks, Jorja Smith has unfortunately become the target of abuse from online trolls. Grammy-nominated Smith who is known for her heavenly vocals, and distinctive song writing, has always embraced her curvy body proudly but recently all people seem to focus on is her body image, contemplating whether she has gained weight or is pregnant.
After her recent performance on Strictly Come Dancing, where Smith sang her song ‘Try Me’ from her new album ‘falling or flying’ , trolls took to X to slander the singer's appearance. Smith took to the stage wearing a floor length fishnet dress with long sleeves, and her flawless long hair pinned behind her ears.
Comments such as “What’s happened to Jorja Smith? She needs to visit the gym” and “Nah fr tho how did Jorja smith get that big 😭 weight gain is such a crazy thing because nobody noticed till it was too late”.
These comments not only reflect an insensitivity, but also perpetuate harmful and unrealistic beauty standards. Comments like these are written without a thought to what someone might be going through, rather posted online as an attempt to make others laugh at the harm of someone.
Unsurprisingly the comments were made by profiles with faceless pictures and anonymous usernames. This is the unfortunate reality of online trolls who more than often hide behind a veil of anonymity to spread negativity. For them anonymity means no accountability for the harm they cause. Jorja’s performance on Strictly Come Dancing, should have been celebrated as a moment of artistic achievement. Instead, it served as a reminder of the persistent issue of body shaming and the faceless and nameless individuals who hide behind a screen, to perpetuate this harm on the internet.
Well said 👏👏👏👏