Body positivity is a movement that has developed in the last ten years or so. Growing out of the fat liberation movement, it focuses on the idea that no matter how your body looks, you should be able to feel confident in yourself. I first heard of body positivity when I came to college and I found it really inspiring as I was developing my sense of self and growing into who I am today. Having dealt with body shaming in high school, the idea that you should love your body no matter your size was revolutionary for me. A lot of people struggle to love their bodies for a variety of reasons, from being bullied and body shamed to struggling with an eating disorder.
Body positivity has become a safe space for people who have struggled with their body image, allowing them the space to accept their bodies as they are and work on loving themselves even if they have rolls or cellulite. I think this is a necessary cushion and community of people that celebrate all types of bodies in order for us to feel confident and truly ourselves. Body positivity has helped many people with eating disorders go into recovery, as well as exposing the vast amount of photoshopping that goes into ad campaigns that present women as stick thin with perfect skin. Jameela Jamil, an actress on "The Good Place," along with many other famous women, has used her platform and fame to spread the message of body positivity.
While ten years ago you would have been very difficult to find a plus-size model in a magazine anywhere, plus size models such as Ashley Graham and Tess Holliday, have expanded what it means to be a model to include women beyond the sample sizes. I think this is extraordinary and this diversity needs to be incorporated in all aspect of social media. Ashley Graham was even the first plus-size model to be featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition back in 2015.
While this movement is still fairly new, it is bringing important attention to the issues that fat people face, as well as encouraging thin women to love their bodies, stretch marks, cellulite, and acne all included. I think we should all hop on the body positivity train and include ALL diverse body shapes, colors, genders, and sizes. No matter who you are, you should have a safe space to be who you are and have a solid community who will support your body positivity actions. Cheers to each and every one of us because we are beautiful just the way we are, and we should embrace what we have! Cheers to us!
