From the initial campaign launch in 1996, The Body Positive Movement has led to a tremendous shift in attitudes about both the male and female body. What this movement is supposed to represent is absolutely phenomenal. Their mission statement talks about creating a world with no self-hatred, where people value their beauty and identity and use their intellect to make positive changes in the world around them. I have to give the BPM props. It is clearly evident on both social media and through day-to-day interaction with people that I see many breaking the norm of what the media says is idealistic and being completely confident in doing it.

In that regard, I’m all for body positivity and inclusion. As someone battling self-hatred and physical insecurities by not meeting “model status” expectations, I know that it’s incredibly vital that people learn to love themselves during a time when social media is dropping self-esteem to all-time lows. I also believe that every person is beautiful in their own way and they should embrace it. And the idea of using your brain to better the world instead of relying on looks—well, that has me screaming praises from the freaking rooftops.

On the surface, the Body Positive Movement expresses some beautiful ideas that are necessary to reach a level of self-satisfaction and healthy confidence. Many of these qualities I notice radiating from both men and women on a regular basis, and it genuinely makes me happy to know that others are confidently loving themselves as they are. As someone who has a problem accepting myself, I often envy those people.

However, there are some aspects of the movement that have transformed from positive to negative, and unfortunately, these aspects are not only ruining the amazing message the Body Positive Movement originally sought to send, but are counter-productive to the cause as well. Because of these issues, I cannot support the BPM:

1. Being body positive should mean loving yourself enough to avoid poor health.

America is one of the unhealthiest countries in the world, and the BPM has somehow become a promotional method for encouraging eating disorders and unhealthy lifestyles on both sides of the scale.

Close to 40% of Americans are obese.
1 in 200 women battle anorexia.
Over 10% of college women suffer from clinical or borderline clinical diagnosed eating disorders.

Often, it seems that those who are obese or notably overweight are pushing to be accepted as sexy by having more “curvy parts" and women who starve themselves aspiring for that incredibly thin body may not be overweight, but are still their own form of unhealthy. While I understand that everybody is different, it is both dangerous and irresponsible to promote being over or underweight and screaming “inclusion” or “body positivity” to justify unhealthy decisions. If the BPM proponents were to adhere to true self-love, they would be pushing a healthy body instead of trying to normalize unhealthy lifestyle choices.

2. Being body positive should be inclusive for ALL – skinny people included

The Body Positive Movement should not be limited to those who are curvier, yet lately, this has been a growing trend. I’ve noticed a lot of misconceptions that discuss how only heavier women are discriminated against, therefore anyone on the thinner side has “thin privilege” and does not have the right to talk about being body positive. That is completely counter-productive to the ENTIRE intent of the movement. If someone wants their body to be accepted, they should accept the body of another despite how high or low the number on the scale reads.

3. Being body positive should not lead to degrading other body types

It makes no sense to strive for acceptance by being “body positive” and share/support the degradation of women or men who are not overweight. Using a very common phrase like “real men love curves and only dogs go for bones” is hateful, selfish, and flat out ignorant.

In the same sense this is also equally counter-productive to being truly body-positive:

If someone is a true proponent of being body positive, they will support the decision of someone striving for a healthy change. I’m not referring to those arrogant fitness buffs, but the people who are unhealthy and ridicule someone else for choosing not to be. That doesn’t make them a “conformist” or incapable of being “confident in their own skin,” and if it does who cares? They’re loving themselves enough to try and be proactive with their health, and that should be met with praise.

In essence, a BPM supporter disrespecting the body of another or the decisions that lead to how that body looks is hypocritical. Don’t push the part of the message that just makes you feel better about yourself. NO person asking for society to adore the physical outcome of their health decisions should feel they have the right to say that anything different from them is negative.

4. Being body positive should not encourage unhealthy fads (see ya, dad bod)

Yea, I’m talking about all the guys repping “dad bods” on Insta. I’m also calling out Old Row for making it somehow popular to be a consistently intoxicated college student with a full-fledged beer gut before receiving a bachelor’s degree. The fact that this is a real thing blows my mind.

The dad bod has become an iconic part of the BPM for men in the same way that being overweight as a woman makes you curvy and more womanly. The difference is that having a dad bod is viewed as a form of comedy before it is viewed as a health concern that is sweeping college campuses and becoming a household norm. It’s also not helping that young women are saying dad bods are “trendy” and “father material,” which in turn leaves thinner, more fit men being stereotyped as arrogant or impersonal. Due to this, it is essentially all around harmful.

I’m all for men reaping the healthy benefits of body inclusion, but pushing this lifestyle as a norm is dangerous and unappealing for multiple reasons. The top is that it’s unhealthy physically and unproductive your education to constantly drink. Gaining weight that leads to the dad bod look because of excess beer consumption is also not a glowing attribute. Being truly body-positive should promote more self-love than this low of a health standard, and finding humor in having a "dad bod" at increasingly younger ages is alarming.

As beautiful as the concept for the Body Positive Movement is, the reality is that people have twisted it to fit their own misguided agenda. Instead of being a movement inspiring men and women to find the love of a body that may not meet certain unrealistic standards, the BPM has become a platform for influencing unhealthy lifestyles, promoting irresponsible behavior, and ultimately transitioning into a means that makes health concerns not only normal but sexy.

The BPM becomes loses credibility every time someone tries to say their size and health does not count when being body positive. And promoters pushing physical sex appeal and social acceptance before the health of themselves and potentially others makes the movement an unrealistic approach to bettering the way we view our bodies.

I love everything the Body Positive Movement is SUPPOSED to stand for, but I cannot support the way it has transitioned into a movement promoting health concerns as sexy and disrespecting others to feel worthy.

Until the true intention of being “body positive” means that healthy is synonymous with sexy, I, nor anyone else, should support this movement.