Body Shaming: Who is to blame?
Should we hold journalists accountable for instigating body shaming comments?
During one of my many daily Instagram scrolls I couldn’t help but notice the most recent trend that appears to be dominating Instagram stories at present. The idea behind this current craze is that individuals ask their following a question that reads show me a picture/video of when… to which their followers will finish the end of the sentence with responses such as ‘when you were a baby’ or ‘when you were at your happiest’ with the Instagram user then posting an image or video that best suits the chosen statement. Do you get the gist?
Love Island star Molly-Mae Hague is one of many who have given into the current hype. Whilst sieving through her Instagram stories there was one image that instantaneously grasped my attention (see image on the left) and I couldn’t help but feel nothing but frustration. The images that Molly-Mae posted were captured unknowingly by paparazzi whilst the reality star was on holiday in Ibiza earlier this summer which soon made the headlines that sparked negative attention from online trolls about the 21-year-olds appearance.
The Daily Mail posted an article online (see headline below) on the 15th July 2020 that included these same bikini pictures of Molly-Mae alongside many more that were captured from various different unflattering angles. I cannot fault the article in the sense that the feature was written with what seems to be good intentions as The Daily Mail claims that reality star ‘looked amazing’ and has an ‘incredible figure’.
However, what I begin to question is why does this article seem to rely so heavily on the images taken of Molly-Mae in a bikini for readership? By taking a look at the feature’s heading that is branded as a ‘PICTURE EXCLUSIVE’ it becomes apparent that this piece is bound to be image focused, and with a whopping total of 33 images present in the article it makes it hard for the reader to focus on any text that is also featured.
In one of my recent blog posts I discussed The Benefits of Online Journalism, where I touched upon interactive audiences being an advantage of digital journalism. However, the comments section at the end of an online feature which encourages interactive audiences acts as a breeding ground for internet trolls. Internet trolls for you that don’t know is someone online (usually anonymous) who intentionally makes rude statements with the intent of causing upset. When taking a look at the comments section below The Daily Mail article I was stunned by some of the revolting comments that were posted about the YouTube star (see images below).
The article along with these comments did not go unnoticed as Molly-Mae uploaded a YouTube video on the 22nd July 2020 FLYING TO IBIZA WITH 8 HOURS NOTICE!!!! which included a personal response to these images that were circulating amongst the tabloids:
“It’s just annoying because I’ve literally been working so hard the last two months to really get in a good shape and loose a bit of weight.”
It saddens me to see that we live in a world that is clearly incapable of normalising normal bodies. Has none ever seen a stretch mark before? Cellulite? Or do we still live in a fantasy land where people believe that those in the spotlight are somehow immune from these perfectly normal bodily attributes. I understand that The Daily Mail holds no control over what their audience wish to comment but what they do have control over is the articles that they choose to release. Whether you are Molly-Mae or not if a photograph is taken of you unknowingly the chances that you will approve of the photo is very slim and as she states in her Instagram story she felt ‘betrayed’ by the press for releasing these images that were caught of her unknowingly that sparked negative comments about the reality stars figure. Ultimately, it seems to me that this article acts a catalyst for body shaming remarks.
