Women aren’t Supporting Women

How body shaming has become more normal, especially between women on social media

Olivia Synek / Opinion Editor / The USD Vista

The acceptance of different body types has been a hot topic for the past few years – especially when it comes to women’s bodies. The whole point of body positivity – the way I understand it, is to never judge how someone else’s body looks. There are many people out there who still feel the need to be opinionated on the way someone else looks. Assumptions are what set us back. People believe that if a girl is skinny, she could have a disorder. They also believe that if a girl is bigger, she eats too much. 

A woman’s weight is not dependent on only food. Weight is dependent on many other factors such as physical health, mental health, how fast someone’s metabolism is, etc. 

Insecurities tend to come out whenever someone judges someone else’s body. I see women on social media who are calling other women too skinny or overweight. A lot of the time, comments like these are posted by those who are insecure themselves. This sometimes means that the idea of “women supporting women” is shattered. 

This all seems to create a sort of endless cycle; no matter how you look, society will always find a way to criticise you. 

“Women supporting women” has been a topic of conversation for the past couple of years. It is the idea that women face objectivity at alarming rates, which means that they are judged very often. Many of us women experience this judgment not only from men, but from other women too. This movement was created so that women could appreciate each other when we may not have anyone to appreciate us. Sometimes we have no one to reassure us that we are accomplishing things in life, and it is always nice for women to have other women by their side to be that reassurance. 

The reason it is so impactful to be supported by other women is because we all understand what it feels to be a woman in today’s society. It is still the societal norm to objectify women, and it is helpful for us to have each other’s back whenever this happens. 

Lately, however, being body positive and supporting women has not been as prominent. TikTok, as we all know, is one of the most popular social media platforms. On my TikTok, whenever I see a viral video of a girl feeling confident, there are endless hate comments. Some of the comments are from women who preach “women supporting women,” but the second someone feels insecure about themselves, the support diminishes. Due to the amount of hate women still get because of their bodies, many celebrities have a tough time with body image. Some celebrities do unhealthy things to stay skinny because many social media users favor skinny women, which again, is the opposite of women supporting women.

Billie Eilish recently released a song called “Not My Responsibility.” In the lyrics, you can hear her struggle with body image and how people judge her due to her body type and what she wears. In a world where women support women and in a world where there is appreciation for all body types, people would not hate on Eilish because of how she looks or dresses. The end of her song reads:

Many celebrities develop eating disorders due to the amount of hate they receive. Some artists and actors will receive thousands of comments a day regarding the way they look. After years of hate, celebrities like Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Zoë Kravitz, and many more feel like they have to change their presence due to the way others perceive them. It’s scary considering celebrities have access to a lot of help when it comes to struggling with mental and physical health. Imagine how the typical girl, who struggles with her body image, feels if she cannot find help. 

In an era where I thought women were supporting women, I have seen more examples of women tearing one another down. No matter what someone wears or, more importantly, how someone looks, it is no one’s business to voice their negative perception of an innocent individual. It is something we all learned at a young age, but think before you speak (or comment), because we are too far past there being an ideal body type. Just because a body is not your ideal body, does not mean you need to be responsible for someone else’s insecurities.