Body positivity is a big topic of conversation lately. While I can't cover ever aspect in just one article, let me start by clearing up some common misconceptions about body positivity.
1. Health is not something you can determine by what size you wear.
I'd consider myself a healthy and physically active person, but I can tell you right now that my jeans will never get below a size 10. Not even if I ate salad for every meal and worked out twice a day for the rest of my life would this be a possibility. And that is perfectly fine. This is due to something called genetics. But some may look at me and assume I am unhealthy because a healthy person should be "skinnier." This is not true. Get this out of your mind.
2. Fat is not a bad word.
No, by no means is it okay to call someone fat. Unless you are a child, then it's a little funny, and you might go viral online. But otherwise, no, it is not okay to try and use "fat" as an insult but fat is not a bad word. The subject of weight has become so sensitive that saying the word "fat" at all has become as forbidden as saying... *whispers* Voldemort. It is just a word that we have given too much power to.
3. "Body positivity" is not just for people who are above a size two.
No, it is not a movement created to defend women with curves. I know it may be shocking, but just like it's hard for some people to lose weight; it can be just as hard for some people to gain weight. Being body positive does not mean getting a free pass to shame someone for being “too skinny" because you are defending someone who has more fat.
So, what does body positivity really mean?
You can't google body positivity and come up with a definition--other than Urban Dictionary's but that doesn't really count. There is no official definition for what it means to be body positive but after researching the topic to understand more about it, this is my definition: Body positivity means seeing the beauty in size 00 to size 30 and everything in between. It means realizing that 6'3 is just as beautiful as 5'0, which is just as stunning as 5'5. It means seeing the beauty in every race, gender, ethnicity, size, height, and scar.
Mainly it means loving your body while helping others love theirs. Yes, that's cheesy but it's true.
Because her success is not your failure. Just like every other aspect in life. Just because she got a higher grade, does not mean that you failed. Just because she got more likes on her Instagram picture, does not mean that you are ugly. Just because she is a size Kendall Jenner does not mean that you are a size killer whale. So next time you feel like the monster next the Kendall do me a favor and remember this:
I don't know you but I do know that you are not fat. You may have some fat but you are not fat. Just like you may have very little fat on you but you are not skinny. You are you. You are not a label nor are you a size. You are not a number on a scale or a statistic in a chart of what your projected height and weight should be. And I promise you, the moment you start realizing this, is the moment you will stop letting your body negativity run your life.
