Govt college holds webinar on body shaming, self-esteem among girls

Over 150 students took part in the webinar, which discussed the various issues pertaining to body shaming and how individuals should be more accepting of being different from others.

A webinar was organised by the women empowerment cell of Government Girl College, Sector 14, on the issue of body image on Sunday afternoon for an hour.

A webinar was organised by the women empowerment cell of Government Girl College, Sector 14, on the issue of body image on Sunday afternoon for an hour.(Karun Sharma/Hindustan Times)

Over 150 students took part in the webinar, which discussed the various issues pertaining to body shaming and how individuals should be more accepting of being different from others. The discussion also touched upon the issue of peer pressure on social media.

Vageesha Rao, a certified counsellor, held the webinar and discussed at length issues regarding young individuals, questions of personality, handling societal pressure and other peer issues.

Rao said that young girls and boys often slip into depression and, in many cases, have ended their lives, when they fail to cope up with peer pressure. “During the session, students were made aware of how there is a vicious cycle between body image, mental health, and self-esteem. Students were given examples of people who stood up to body shaming time and again. The aim of the session was to promote the idea that loving one’s own body should not mean hating someone else’s” she said.

Dr Vijay Adlakha, principal, Government Girls College, Sector 14, said that students could relate to what was being discussed and found the session to be very informative and interesting. “Body shaming is something that concerns every young mind while growing up and the issue needs to be addressed by both parents and teachers. Otherwise, it can leave a deep impact on young minds,” he said.

Rao said, while men too can face body shaming, but the level of shaming being faced by women is much more. “Try to avoid negative people. I have discussed and given a presentation of a few exercises to do daily regarding self-esteem. Have asked the students to write the five positive points about themselves daily at bedtime and to think why we love our family and friends — is it due to physical appearance or their virtues?,” she said.