Over the last years, the body positivity movement has garnered a lot of popularity. More people on social media are sharing their journeys and experiences with other people and talk about accepting their bodies and feeling comfortable in their own skin. Everyone can aim towards being more body positive, yet what does it mean, and how can you do it?
What is body positivity?
Body positivity is a social movement that seeks to inspire people to acknowledge that bodies can come in all shapes and sizes – everyone should feel that they are valued and accepted, regardless of their size. It is self-evident that someone’s body size does not indicate their health, and it is wrong to make assumptions regarding someone’s lifestyle by judging their body or weight.
It is important to keep a positive body image, accept other people, and fight against discrimination that focuses on how someone looks.
Accepting your body
Body positivity also means accepting and valuing all your physical features, skin tone, and anything else that makes you feel different from others. This does not mean that you necessarily have to be constantly happy about all these features – the idea is to accept yourself the way you are.
Caring for your body
The movement of body positivity inspires people to think about what their body needs, rather than what it should look like. Often people start a diet or exercise routine because they wish to have an “ideal” body, however, this movement advises finding a healthy diet that is nourishing, and to exercise because it gives us energy and makes us feel good.
The downsides of body positivity movement
While the movement of body positivity has contributed to openly talking about and working with issues like dieting, discrimination related to body types and appearances, it has also received a great deal of criticism.
It is found that the movement neglects people whose bodies do not fit the “social norms”; people of colour, transgender people, larger sized people, handicapped people, and many others are pushed to periphery. It is more likely to find slimmer people with lighter skin tones, the ones who are accepted in society, at the forefront.
The idea of body positivity is often exploited in marketing, which is obscuring the moral of the movement – that everyone should feel comfortable they way they are and not change anything.
How can you become more body positive?
Even though the movement has several downsides, when you concentrate on its most important idea – of accepting and embracing yourself the way you are, and having a similar attitude towards other people – the movement might benefit a large number of people. Also, when becoming more body positive yourself, it is important to remember to accept people who look different to you.
Understanding that everyone is different
In the media one can mostly see photos of people who look generally the same (they do not seem to have any flaws), however, in reality this is not true. People come in different shapes and sizes, with different backgrounds, experiences and ways of understanding the world.
We ought to realise that acknowledging this is the first step towards accepting people who are different and less spoken for. It is also important during discussions relating to what is a healthy body.
Love yourself for who you are
This is not always easy to accomplish. Overcoming difficulties associated with body image could be quite an ordeal since we constantly see and hear ideas about body ideal, how to look, what to weigh, and how to achieve it. This could pressure us into thinking that we must have a certain appearance which, however, is almost always unachievable.
To improve our body image, we should unfollow social media accounts that lower our self-esteem, focus on the qualities we like about ourselves, and think critically about the images shown in the media.
Focus on what makes you feel good instead of what looks good
Body positivity does not mean that we have to lead an unhealthy lifestyle. In fact, accepting our body the way it is and taking good care of it might result in many healthy habits. When choosing what you eat, pick dishes that are good for your health, give you plenty of nutrients, and keep you energised. Similarly, when exercising, you should find a training routine that you can enjoy; if going to the gym is not to your liking, find other ways how to keep moving and exercising. Your focus should be on feeling good rather than looking good.
Stand up for people who look different
People who are different (overweight, transgender, disabled, etc.) often feel that they are not accepted, and they might be regularly discriminated against because of how their bodies look. This includes, for example, comments from strangers, bullying in school or at work, or being deprived of something due to their appearance. Even if you have not felt that kind of criticism, it is important to support those who have. Stand up for them, help them share their experiences, and protect those who are being bullied in your presence.
It might be more difficult to change your way of thinking when you live in a society that constantly emphasises the body ideal. If you notice yourself treating someone differently because of their appearance, ask yourself why and try to change it. Could it be because their appearance is somehow distinctive? The same is true for you – when you find yourself making negative comments about your own body, figure out where those thoughts are coming from, and try accepting yourself the way you are.
This article has been translated into Estonian and edited by a youth information portal Teeviit volunteer Carmen Helena Kaljurand.
Source: https://spunout.ie/mental-health/eating-disorders/body-positive
Spunout is Ireland’s youth information website.
Published on the youth information portal Teeviit in 2022.
