CHECK Bayern #2

ENGLISH
COMMUNITY
BODY SHAMING
NO FATS, NO FEMS!
Body shaming, i.e. discriminating against a person based on their external characteristics,
is a problematic and frequent phenomenon and is now affecting more and more
men – especially in the gay community. What does it do to you, what is behind it and
why is the ideal body the measure of all things? We spoke to someone affected and
also to an expert about how this phenomenon can plunge people into deep crises.
“You are so fat. It’s so gross. I wouldn’t even
touch you with rubber gloves!” Those are the
less harmful sentences that René found on
his social media profiles last year. “At least
full sentences,” he laughs, although he admits
that he sometimes feels like crying. René is 27
and an impressive figure, who weighs 125 kilos
at 1.90 meters. It is clear to him that this does
not correspond to current ideals of beauty. But
he is open about it: “I will never be a slim man
and that doesn’t bother me either.” Others,
however, seem to be bothered by it. Because
of his appearance, he is repeatedly rejected,
especially on dating apps. “If I’m too strong for
you, you’re too weak for me,” he says confidently,
but admits that he deleted a photo in swimming
trunks from his profile last year. At some point
the often “funny” posts became too much for
him and the comments even made him weary.
His profile text reads: “I’m a bear – take me for
who I am!”. And after all, many do. “I also get
great messages from people who think I’m
good – that makes me happy. I try to ignore the
others.” In any case, René doesn’t want to lose
weight or delete his profile.
”LEAVE PEOPLE AS THEY ARE –
OR LEAVE THEM ALONE!“
René is a typical victim of body shaming, especially
in the gay scene. For many, body shaming
means degrading not just their body, but their
whole person, their way of life. And this degradation
can have enormous consequences: isolation
and depression up to self-harm, even suicide.
In order to reverse this trend and reduce body
shaming, not only common sense, but also legislature
is required. One wishes everyone would
take René’s sentence to heart: “Leave people as
they are – or leave them alone!”
(bm,ts,mb)
WHEN IDEAL IMAGES BECOME
VISIONS OF HORROR
Beautiful people, beautiful
landscapes, beautiful
bodies – if you ever
have a peruse through
Instagram, all these
things seem normal,
rather than special. But
in reality, most people
can not fulfill this ideal.
Yet many are then badly
bullied and discriminated
against because of this. We spoke to Nico
Erhardt, a consultant at the Münchener Aids-
Hilfe, about the phenomenon of body shaming
and the consequences for those affected.
Photo: Bernd Müller
Nico, how would you describe the term body
shaming?
Body shaming is a form of discrimination based
on appearance. It is primarily about body fullness,
i.e. whether someone appears too fat or
too thin. But it can also affect all other external
characteristics of a person, from size to hairstyle
to criticism of individual parts of the body.
40 CHECK BAYERN #2