BODY SHAMING THROUGH MEMES IN SOCIAL MEDIA: A STUDY ON FIVE FACEBOOK PAGES

Abstract

The phenomenon of body shaming through memes on social media platforms, particularly on Facebook, has garnered attention due to its potential impact on individuals' self-esteem and body image. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and varieties of body shaming practiced via memes in Bangladesh, to explain the motivations behind body shaming via memes, and to identify the communities that are most affected by body shaming. It also seeks to determine the medium used for body shaming and the effect that trolling has on people's minds. This study used a mixed-method approach. Five Facebook pages were selected using the purposive sampling method and data was collected from 1st October 2021 to 30th September 2022 from those pages. In the quantitative part content analysis technique was applied to collect data, basically text, images, and videos. In the qualitative part, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII) have been used to gather in-depth insights, perspectives, and opinions from participants. Twelve students from two groups representing various universities took part in the FGD and 5 experts attended KII from various fields (Law, Social Media expert, Psychologist, and Human Rights worker). The results indicate that, if anything does not fit their viewpoint, people on Facebook can be observed talking critically about it. On Facebook, users not only criticize others but even themselves. In the Bangladeshi environment, more comments about size, height, masculinity, and skin tone were seen. Not just girls, but also boys and transgender people have been shown to be the targets of body-shaming memes. Whereas girls were thought to be the primary victims, most of the viral content featured boys or men as opposed to girls. To get money, many individuals make memes. The most significant cause of body shaming on social media is ignorance about online etiquette. People who experience body shaming often begin to detest themselves. People circulate body-shaming-related memes to appear cool in the eyes of others, and to elicit more likes, comments, or shares on social media.