So What Does Body Positive Mean Anyway?
Body positive is the idea that all bodies are worthy of self-love and respect. In other words, all bodies are good bodies.
The History Behind Body Positivity
The body positive movement stems from the fat acceptance movement which developed in response to fat-shaming culture and the discrimination of people based on their weight and size.
No Shaming
Body positivity encourages no body shaming of any kind (whether you are fat, skinny, or in between). Body shaming others (and ourselves) is the way in which beauty and body ideals are reinforced by society. These ideals are brought to us by companies that profit off of our body hate.
It’s Not Just About Bodies
Body positivity encourages us to challenge the ways that society “views” our physical bodies. These social standards include more than just physical size ideals. It also includes what color our skin is, our physical abilities, and the ways we show our femininity (ex. makeup and hair). Being body positive means being open to all forms of physical self-expression.
The Business Of Negative Body Image
We are discreetly taught by major institutions like the media, school, and even our families that a woman’s purpose is to exist as a heterosexual object. Women are bombarded by messages that they are not good enough and then companies market products and programs that promise to fix us. You can refer to this as beauty and diet culture. Women are taught that their sole purpose is to be beautiful….and oh yeah…White. Thin. Big Breasted. Able-bodied. Hairless. Flawless. “PERFECT.”
Healthy Body Image
Being body positive means ignoring these ideals and celebrating all types of bodies. You were born to be real, not perfect. #seemorereal
We all struggle with maintaining a positive body image. There are so many resources that can help put you on the right path. Would you say that you are body positive?
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