How e feel wen pipo 'skinny shame' you

You sick? You poor? Everitin dey okay? Or you dey struggle wit some kain sickness abi someti dey do you?

All dis kain question dem sound familiar?

If pesin don eva ask you questions wey resemble dis ones na im be say dem fit don skinny-shame you.

But, wetin be skinny-shame? How e fit affect your mental health?

Becos di truth be say, anywia you dey for world dem get wetin dem consider as di kain body wey pesin suppose get, and if you no look like dat, e get some pipo wey go dey quick to judge you.

For social media, some celeb like Ariana Grandy bin hit back wen dis happun to dem.

Make we rewind! You remember wen Lizzo chop accuse say she fat shame her dancers sake of how dia body be?

So, dis tori na about some pipo experience of how pipo skinny-shame dem and how dem dey flex di body wey dem carry come world, no mata dia size.

James O’Hagan na one pesin wey pipo don shame becos im fat.

“Pipo don target me many times before sake of my fatness. And e make me feel like say I be failure wey no suppose exist,” O’Hagan tell BBC.

Wia im bin dey live for Ireland, e say dem dey sometimes stigmatise pipo wey get big body.

Uganda psychologist Leona Buhenzire for interview wit BBC tori pesin for Nairobi, Ashley Ogonda - describe skinny-shaming as “mocking, criticizing, belittling pesin sake of dem dey see am say im dey weigh below wetin dem believe say im suppose dey weigh for di community. Di acceptable weight standard.

Di plan na to make dem feel like say dem no dey attractive.”

BBC tori pesin for Nairobi, Ashley share her tori of pipo wey dey skinny-shame her from wen she small reach now.

“I get plenty experience wia pipo skinny shame me. Right from wen I be small pikin reach now I always dey skinny, I always dey – dem call am – slender, thin, since I be small pikin reach now.

E even worse becos I get fraternal twin and she big pass me. E bin don dey happun for years now na from relative wey dey ask, ‘she dey finish all di food for you’? why you no dey grow? Everitime we meet you, you dey di same, wetin be di problem”?

Ashley say recently dem tell her for Uganda say if dem go pay her bride price na only cow leg dem go pay as she no qualify for bride price sake of her size.

She say all dis kain comments dey make her feel “bad” and “terrible” especially as pipo feel say dem fit just tok some kain tins about her size and shape, come laff join.

“Di comments dey make me wonder weda I need to do sometin about my body, I need to change? Wetin I go fit do? Becos e no mata how I chop reach I no go eva fat.”

Pipo for Kenya and Africa no see skinny shaming as anytin. E dey happun all di time and na mostly family dey do am pass.

Ashley say, “if you dey skinny for any home for Africa dem dey see say you dey sick, you no dey chop well, e get wetin dey worry you.”

Fat and big belle na sign of position and e show say you be big man, and dem dey link thinness wit suffer and sickness like HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and poverty, Ashley tok.

She believe say pipo dey like to comment on oda pipo body becos e dey make dem feel beta about demsef.

Solomon Buchi na social commentator, writer and speaker from Nigeria, e say men too dey face bad mouth sake of dem dey skinny.

E say even though dem don skinny-shame am many times, di one wey hit am pass na wen one girl wey im dey chase tell am say im too skinny.

“One girl wey I bin like tell me say me I too dey skinny to be man and she no go fit date me becos I too thin,” Buchi tok.

E say di tin enta and e no leave im body for long time. Buchi add say for pipo mind, man suppose dey masculine and for am di kain shaming wey im bin experience make am feel say im no reach to be man.

Mental health of skinny shaming

Psychologist Leona Buhenzire say skinny shaming dey cause different kain tins for pipo.

“Skinny shaming and fat shaming dey cause body dysmorphia, dem dey cause anorexia, bulimia plus anxiety disorder,” she tok.

Buhenzire add say pesin no even need to dey skinny before dem skinny shame am, di whole tin depend on di community wia di pesin belong.

Size 10 and size 12 dey skinny for her community, she tok and anybody wey dey dat size dem must to skinny shame am.

Buhenzire say she be from Bahima tribe for west of Uganda and for her community, dem value woman wey fat like size 16 and above and dat na why wen woman wan marry, dem go carry her go fattening room.

“Before young girl go marry, dem go carry her go fattening hut, dia dem go feed her milk, yoghurt and butter, plus everi, so she go add weight and look beautiful,” she tok.