Chapter 42.

Introduction

Student Video Activities for Abnormal Psychology
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Body Shaming

Authors: Ronald J. Comer, Princeton University and Jonathan S. Comer, Florida International University

Photo Credit:
Tom Fullum/Getty Images

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42.1 Body Shaming

In this video, several stand-up comediennes describe their personal experiences with body shaming. These women use humor to recount instances in which people close to them made them feel their appearance was inadequate. They also discuss the serious effects that body shaming can have and offer advice about attaining a positive outlook on one’s appearance.

Body Shaming

WOMAN 1: My mom tells me to raise my arms and kind of reach up. She's like, yeah reach, reach, reach, reach. I'm like, OK, I'm reaching. You see how nice and slender you look like that? That's how you should look when you're standing normal.

WOMAN 2: I remember once in elementary school, I was driving with my mom and one of my good friends who lives in the neighborhood. And she dropped her off, and then my mom was like, you know, she's got such beautiful, long legs. The boys are really going to like her. OK, cool, cool I'll just go like seek out some other short-legged women, you know. If like, partnership's not in the cards for us, we can just like—let's pack it all in now. You know what I mean, why not even get to middle school if we're not even going to be loved by boys?

WOMAN 3: My sister, who I love and is a great person, wanted me to wear a dress at her wedding. And I did not feel comfortable doing that because basically, my rule of thumb is like, what would Jude Law do? But she was like, you have to wear a dress, you've got to do it for the pictures, blah blah blah. I considered it. I was like, all right, maybe—it's my little sister—like, maybe I should wear a dress. I got the courage to just be like, this is a hard no. Like no dress. And then my sister proceeded to say, I don't know what to do Emma. I've gotten so desperate, I googled lesbian high heels. What did you find? Nothing!

WOMAN 4: I lost a lot of weight in high school because I started playing soccer. And your body changes, so I dropped some weight. And everyone then started reacting like, oh my god, you look so great now. Oh gosh, I better not go back to that, because apparently it was quite a sight to see.

WOMAN 5: I felt, a lot of times, too thin. And I developed very late. And I was pulled out of class at 12 to ask if I was anorexic.

WOMAN 4: Yikes. That means someone was like, you look sickly.

WOMAN 6: A few years ago, I decided to get a lob. That's a long bob. I Skyped her to show her my new hair, which I was so excited about, and she said, oh. I like your hair long. And I said, oh. Well too bad, because I love my lob, and you should love it, too.

WOMAN 1: And one thing I really loved to do while I was growing up, especially in high school, was show off the exact things that made people uncomfortable. I especially loved doing this in front of hot guys, because it made them powerless. I would just sit at my desk and like, totally just show off my gut.

WOMAN 7: Why would your loved one say something to you that was hurtful?

WOMAN 1: Why the hell are you making me feel like crap when you're the one who should be supporting me and protecting me?

WOMAN 4: No one's perfect. And I think it's really quite a coming to moment when you're an adult and you realize that your parents aren't perfect.

WOMAN 7: Sometimes expressing ourselves might be outside of what somebody has experienced before. So their response is, wait, no. Um, that's not what you're supposed to do.

WOMAN 4: The problem is you put your family on a pedestal. So when they say something's wrong, you believe them. When the truth is, nothing is wrong.

WOMAN 7: The experience that you're having of changing and growing can be scary for a relative in your life. Sometimes you need to remind them, hey, that's great that you had this, and that you had that moment. But let me have mine.

42.2 Check Your Understanding

Question 42.1

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Correct!
Incorrect.

Question 42.2

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Correct!
Incorrect.

Question 42.3

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Correct!
Incorrect.

Question 42.4

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Correct!
Incorrect.

42.3 Activity Completed!

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