Rob's Soapbox - We Need Shame

<p>Shame is a vital part of a freely functioning society, and it has been disappearing in ours for over 30 years now.</p><p>There was a campaign in the 1990s to understand and sympathize with those who steal. The classic example used was the struggling single father who needed to feed his baby, and therefore, robbed a 7-11. I’m not even sure this ever happened, but the example was bandied about endlessly as a way to teach us all that there’s a story behind everything, and therefore, we should feel compassion towards this mystery father and not only NOT prosecute him, but more importantly, not shame him or those like him who are merely “down on their luck.”</p><p>Thus began the long and winding road of shaming no one, ever, for anything.</p><p>From criminals, we moved on to bodies; no one should ever be made to feel “less than” because of their appearance. There’s no such thing as “fat,” or “obese” and certainly, no one should ever be called ugly or disgusting because someone somewhere surely finds them attractive and, therefore, we all must.</p><p>We’ve gone so far in the body positivity movement that we now shame beautiful people.</p><p>Yes, you read that correctly; as we remove shame from those who don’t fit traditional norms of “beautiful” body size and shape, we have shifted the shame to those who do. Victoria’s Secret, for example, got rid of their famous “angels” last year (those women who were of traditional super-model build), and instead created an entirely new group of models who now advertise their products in their plump, oddly shaped, more acceptable ways. <a href="https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a36766170/victorias-secret-getting-rid-of-angels-launching-the-vs-collective/#:~:text=Victoria's%20Secret%20is%20doing%20away,the%20future%20of%20Victoria's%20Secret.%22" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a36766170/victorias-secret-getting-rid-of-angels-launching-the-vs-collective/#:~:text=Victoria's%20Secret%20is%20doing%20away,t