We've all heard of "fat-shaming" before, and soon to follow was "skinny-shaming," as discussed after the release of Megan Trainor's single, "All About That Bass." And now for the latest of the evils: "health-shaming."
Most health-shaming is indirect and often uses bragging to put down someone who consciously thinks about their health when making decisions. It's statements like, "Oh, she looks good, but she's very strict about her diet" or, "Oh, he looks good, but he works out like every day and I don't have the time for that" that seem to penalize a healthy lifestyle's results. I've even heard this with a twist: people bragging about everything from doing very little for exercise to eating processed food in excess right in front of someone who works really hard to get to where they are, to justify their own habits as well as somewhat nullify the efforts of a healthy lifestyle. Bragging about a sedentary lifestyle will most likely discourage those that really have to work at being in shape that can't just sit around and get away with it.
The catty direct comments make it even worse. "You're probably just going to order a salad" or, "I'd suggest we go get ice cream but you're probably too healthy for that." It is absolutely, completely unnecessary to even vocalize these thoughts because, honestly, who cares? Habits are up to the person making the decision. Unless they are endangering themselves or others, someone shouldn't be criticized for their lifestyle. And if someone decides to treat themselves, they shouldn't be called out for breaking their "diet."
As a matter of fact, in any situation, nobody should be put in a situation where they feel the need to defend their choices, whether that be following a healthy diet and routine exercise regimen, or a simple everyday choice, like which hobbies to participate in. The second you put someone on the defensive, they feel degraded and begin to question their own choices, which is unfair. I don't know about you, but I definitely wouldn't like to get stuck explaining myself after every choice I make, hoping that I won't get put in my place again.
You're told you're too fat, so you decide to lose weight. You lose weight, and you're told you're too skinny. Society is never satisfied with your worth as a person and will constantly tell you that you need to keep changing to fit its standards. If we could all just accept that certain people do things differently than others to reach different goals they have, maybe all of this extra "shaming" would go away.
