Today, May 16, the first national day against body shaming is celebrated, with the clear and direct slogan: “Shame is in the eyes of those who offend”. A campaign created to remember that the body cannot and must not become an instrument of offense, and that psychological violence has concrete effects on people’s lives.
The body as identity
Invoking the body to insult someone is powerful because the body represents a fundamental part of identity. Height, weight, skin color: every visible characteristic becomes immediately associated with the whole person. In a world where image matters more than substance, “how you look” often takes precedence over “who you are”.
Martina, 17, tells us: “At first I laughed when they made fun of me about my weight, then I started to hate what I saw in the mirror.” And stories like his are not uncommon: teenagers and young adults suffer comments on a daily basis that leave invisible but deep wounds.
The phenomenon and the law
Body shaming is a phenomenon that goes beyond a harmless joke or joke: it is psychological violence. It affects self-esteem, mental health and social relationships. The term, registered by Treccani in 2018, literally indicates making someone ashamed of their body.
In 2025, the Italian Senate established the National Day Against the Denigration of Physical Appearance. The chosen date, May 16, and the symbolic color, fuchsia, represent energy, vitality and self-esteem. Cristina Semenzato, the first signatory of the law, dedicated the day to Paolo Mendico, the 14-year-old student victim of body shaming who took his own life, recalling how offenses can have tragic consequences.
The campaign and the visual message
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The campaign posters show a deliberately imperfect photo of Semenzato, distorted and outside the traditional canons of beauty. The image challenges the obsessive search for aesthetic perfection, reminding us that every body has dignity and value.
Federico, 22, says: “At work everyone jokes about my weight. Sometimes I feel paralyzed, as if I’m not enough.” The National Day aims to give voice to experiences like these and raise awareness in society of the real weight of apparently harmless comments.
Look at yourself in the mirror differently
The Day proposes a change of perspective: the body is not a target. Behind every body there is a person with emotions, stories and fragilities. Recognizing this is the first step towards a more empathetic culture, far from judgments and gratuitous insults.
It must not be an isolated event: it must remind us daily that no body deserves shame, and that acceptance and respect come first of all from the way we look at ourselves and others.
