Loving yourself and being healthy are not mutually exclusive. I think it’s awesome that we, as a society, are promoting body positivity and confidence. I remember a time when girls didn’t have such strong role models as Amy Schumer and Iskra Lawrence. Instead, young girls would see too-thin models and that would distort their body image. They would feel pressure to attain these unrealistic bodies, and this ended up causing eating disorders to become very common in teenagers and young adults. While I think that the body positivity movement is great, though, we do have to tread with caution. There’s a difference between being curvy and being unhealthy.
I’ll admit that one of my guilty pleasure shows is TLC’s “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.” The show follows the life of Whitney, a hilarious (the reason I watch the show) woman who is over 400lbs. Her many health struggles — from back pain to passing out when dancing – are captured each week, but are certainly not the focus of the show. There was one episode where she was giving a talk about body positivity, and audience members asked her some tough questions about whether she should really be a role model for young girls.
This episode got me thinking a lot about body positivity, so I decided to break it down into its strengths and weaknesses as a concept and as a movement. First, I think it’s fantastic to promote loving yourself in every way. It sends a great message to people that what you look like is less important than what you have to offer. It also teaches people to appreciate the differences that make us all unique.
The one fundamental problem with the movement, however, is that some people are using it to justify unhealthy habits. Loving your curves doesn’t mean don’t go to the gym and eat whatever you want. It means that you accept the curves you have because you go to the gym and are conscious of what you are eating. It means that you are making a conscious effort to be the healthiest and best version of yourself, while acknowledging that that version of yourself might be fuller than it is for others.
So yes, love yourself. Just also recognize that part of loving yourself is taking care of yourself. Whether you’ve got a pear shape, an apple shape, or a shape that can’t be described by a fruit, know that you are beautiful but don’t let that feeling justify complacency in the pursuit of a healthy life.
