Bullying and body shaming incidences in India are less reported as compared to the actual number of events occurring in Indian schools every day. This podcast with MHT and Ms. Bhumika Kaushik revolves around the body shaming accompanied by bullying experiences undergone by Bhumika when she was in studying in an Indian school.
Children and teens are bullied for various reasons in Indian schools, ranging from academic performance to body image. In many cases, teachers also indirectly participate in this behaviour, especially in body-shaming girls who might look different from the norm.
Bhumika Kaushik, studied in an Indian school based out of Punjab. She went to an all-girls school. As she was growing, her body was developing as well. Her body was changing: new facial hair, body hair, body weight and much more. Bhumika wasn’t concerned about these changes until her friends and teachers made her. Now she was facing challenges on how to stop the body hair growth, body weight and other bodily changes that came along with age. In her case, her teachers were also commenting on her body hair, suggesting her to go through painful procedures such as threading, waxing at a young age on 13-14 years old.
Girls bullying and body shaming other girls is something that shocked Bhumika the most during her adolescence. At an age where she wished to strengthen her friendship with her peers, she received funny comments and remarks about her body instead. Some of her friends were indeed very supportive, although Bhumika wasn’t expecting girls turning on to her so negatively. She further requests the listeners in this podcast to be mindful of the words they use as these words can have a long and negative impact on another person’s life.
In this podcast, Bhumika talks about her experience of bullying and body shaming in an all-girls Indian school in much more detail. She even mentions that this period was traumatic for her and caused further damage to her mental health. She had to resort to the help of a mental health professional in order to learn how to be kind to herself and her body. Therapy also helped her get over these memories of bullying and body shaming from school.
Tune in to this podcast to know more about Bhumika and how she coped with this period of her life. Ms. Bhumika Kaushik is currently employed in the corporate sector. She also runs a private blog by the name: Monster Under my Bed through which she wants to help and support other young girls who might be going through similar experiences such as bullying and body shaming. The podcast ends with a sweet message by Bhumika to listeners.
About MHT Podcast | Survivor Series
The Survivor Series by MHT Podcast is one of the most popular podcast series by MHT India. The episodes from this podcast series are in collaboration with speakers from across India. These speakers share their true story of living with a mental illness and psychological problems. From psychiatric conditions such as psychosis to dealing with psychological issues such as bullying and body shaming, the MHT Podcast | Survivor Series has episodes with speakers that have dealt with it all. They share their experiences with a mental illness and how to tell the listeners what helped them cope with their struggles. The importance of treatment and therapy is also highlighted in these episodes.
Team MHT India duly takes the consent of the speakers to share their details on the MHT India website. In the case where a speaker doesn’t wish to disclose their identity, the name of the speaker is kept anonymous in the article as well as the podcast recording.
If you are also struggling with a psychological or a psychiatric condition and wish to share your story to inspire and motivate others, you can also join as a speaker of the MHT Podcast | Survivor Series by simply writing Team MHT India an email at: support@mentalhealthtoday.co.in.
