By now, you've probably heard of and possibly seen the statues depicting Donald Trump completely nude that have appeared in New York City, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle. The art installments have generated a lot of media and social network buzz, and have been laughed at, mocked and re-tweeted over and over. But what exactly is it that people are laughing at? Is it satisfying that someone who has been such a public pariah, instigator and polarizing figure is suddenly found vulnerable to public ridicule? Perhaps. But it isn't Trump's fascist, misogynistic, racist, xenophobic ideologies that we are mocking, laughing at and taking pictures with. It's his body. And the question that we need to ask ourselves is whether it's okay to body shame, even if it's someone as vile as Donald Trump.
As blogger Rich Smith states, "I'm laughing because his body looks ridiculous. He has no balls and a tiny penis. He has old and veiny skin. His fat belly hangs down over his barren pelvis." That's what we're all laughing at. That Donald Trump, a man who has shown the world his unbelievable narcissism, is actually just like the rest of us underneath his expensive suits. But why is it funny? Why is it satisfying to see him in this way? Perhaps it is because it brings him down from his self-proclaimed pedestal and makes him vulnerable to the masses. But what we're laughing at are his "flaws." His skin, his body fat, his genitals.
Even the creators of the statues themselves commented on Trump's genitals (or lack-thereof), stating "We decided to depict Trump without his balls because we refuse to acknowledge that he is a man. He is a small arrogant child and thus, has nothing in the way of testicles." They are defining masculinity by genitalia, and furthermore by how defined that genitalia is. This interpretation is further perpetuating the damaging idea that gender, masculinity and identity are defined by genitals. It's saying that unless you possess testicles, you cannot be a man. It's saying that anyone who has similar body characteristics to Trump (such as fat content, skin texture, genitalia appearance, etc.) should be ashamed of their bodies. They are being told that if Trump can be mocked for looking this way, they can, too.
This is body shaming in it's most fundamental form, yet because of the person in the spotlight, we don't seem to really have a problem with it. What if it were someone else? What if this was Michele Obama or your grandfather or you? What if it was anyone else's naked body displayed in crude detail in the most populated cities in America, ripe for ridicule and mockery? We'd say "that's body shaming!" We'd want them taken down immediately. We'd criticize everyone who took a picture with the statue and laughed at it. It would be an entirely different ordeal.
We should criticize politicians on their ideologies, their platforms, their economic and social policies, but not their bodies. It's never okay to body shame, and, while it may feel momentarily satisfying to see someone like Donald Trump humanized and vulnerable, it's not helping our society progress in a time when we desperately need to.
