At 33, the scars of my childhood experiences with body shaming still linger. Growing up underweight, I felt out of place, constantly compared to society’s pre-set templates of how one should look. Mocking nicknames like “matchstick” and “noodles” were a daily occurrence, but what hurt the most were comments about my receding hairline. Phrases like “highway road on the forehead” and “bald” felt like daggers each time I heard them. Ironically, my attempts to conform led to unhealthy habits, such as overeating in a desperate bid to gain weight, which ironically didn’t improve my appearance but affected my health. My insecurity about my hairline reached a point where I constantly hid under a cap, sometimes even at home. What’s heart-wrenching is that body shaming often occurred within my own household. This deeply ingrained self-consciousness even influenced my choice of clothes. Though I loved swimming, I’d opt for attire that covered my entire body, and shorts were a no-go, replaced by full pants. The mental imprint of these experiences is so strong that even today, when I go for a haircut, I find myself highlighting my receding hairline. Yet, through all this, I’ve come to understand that we can’t control our physical appearance; it’s a blend of genetics and metabolism. But society’s judgments and expectations are something we shouldn’t have to shoulder.
Big Head
