About Moje tělo je moje (My Body Is Mine) campaign
“Only when I was suffering with anorexia did my father tell me I looked good.”
“Us men also fight with prejudice since childhood. Media (including pornography) show us, that a man must be dominant and successful, he doesn’t cry under any circumstance, he is muscular, has a six-pack and large genitals.”
Judging the way you look, hurtful remarks, mockery, jokes, insults, unsolicited advice – is something the majority of us has experienced or is still experiencing. Body shaming is a wide spread phenomenon in our society, it painfully impacts many people’s lives and it can significantly scar ones psyche.
Project Moje tělo je moje (My Body Is Mine) aims to spread awareness and to clearly articulate, that everybody deserves respect – and no one can be belittled or bullied for their appearance.
The founder of project Moje tělo je moje, musician and author Ridina Ahmedová, started a podcast about women and their experience with body shaming called Sádlo for Český rozhlas Radio Wave in spring 2020. During the yearlong preparations she heard stories that we usually don’t talk about: painful statements about how impactful the comments about our bodies really are to our lives.
The podcast Sádlo was met with an enormous response, the listeners are sending hundreds of personal stories. Body shaming is massively experienced by children, and adult men and women. It is obvious that the way we perceive our body is significantly influenced by the information we get from our family, partners and wider environment.
podcast sádlo
The goal of the Moje tělo je moje project is to point out body shaming as a harmful and partially normalised phenomenon that deserves only one thing – eradication. Every human has an absolute right to respect and polite treatment regardless of their looks. “We sympathise with the term “body neutrality” – we do not celebrate nor humiliate the body. We stay neutral, respect it and refrain from unsolicited advice or comments.” says Ahmedová.
How will the money that the campaign Moje tělo je moje is currently crowd funding on Czech portal HitHit be used? For example for running the web mojetelojemoje.cz which is used for sharing stories, experiences, advice and professional information. Moje tělo je moje will bring the topic to schools through talks and workshops. It will collaborate with child psychologists and therapists to create a brochure for parents, guardians and teachers with themes and ideas on how to communicate with kids about topics regarding the body. There will also be livestreams with experts and a podcast #mojetelojemoje will be launched as well. “We are planning a creation of a book “Moje tělo je moje” in collaboration with a publisher of children’s literature. We also want to create an outdoor travelling exhibition #mojetelojemoje with photographs and stories of people who have experienced body shaming and found their way to self acceptance.” adds Ahmedová regarding the plans.
It’s time for change. It is not my obligation to suit the expectations of other people. My body is mine.