Language Matters | Body shaming, pandemic shaming, slut shaming – when did these terms arise and where does the word ‘shame’ come from?
- The act of public shaming has existed throughout history in all cultures, but has become more rife via social media, spawning a plethora of new terms
- ‘Shame’ is currently in local news regarding a University of Hong Kong sculpture memorialising China’s brutal Tiananmen Square crackdown
Shame. The word developed from Old English scamu, sceomu, deriving from Germanic, which not only meant a feeling of guilt or disgrace, or loss of esteem or reputation, but also denoted modesty, as well as genitals. Its origin is postulated to lie in Proto-Indo-European *skem-, from *kem- “to cover” – covering oneself is acknowledged as a natural expression of shame.
The act of public shaming has existed throughout history in all cultures, often enacted via formal laws. In English, shaming as a noun is attested from the 1300s.
Flight shaming, from Swedish flygskam, comprises a social movement that started with several Swedish celebrities in 2017 and aims to reduce the environmental impact of aviation by discouraging people from flying. Its counterpart 2019 trend was train bragging, from Swedish tågskyrt – with climate-conscious travellers posting pictures on the 100,000-strong Tågsemester “train holiday” Facebook group or using the hashtag #tågskryt or #trainbrag.
The past two years have also witnessed the social media public shaming frenzy of anyone regarded as having improper or irresponsible Covid-19 practices, with a term coined for it – pandemic shaming.