What is body positivity? Body positivity focuses on empowering people to be more loving and open to their bodies instead of constantly putting themselves down. I am a prime suspect in hating my own body. Whenever I look at myself in the mirror, I point out all my flaws. My thighs, butt, rolls, and even sometimes, my face.
There are countless body positivity movements and I was on board with almost all of them. It is important to never belittle yourself. Always stay true to who you are. That's why my point of view drastically changed on body image and learning to self-love. Body positivity is about loving your body, but if you don't love your body because you're too fat, too skinny, too stout, or not pretty enough, then instead of teaching yourself not to say anything bad, why don't you change it?
Instead of ripping me to shreds, hear me out. I'm known for eating Ben and Jerry's ice cream. In fact, whenever I stroll into the gas station down the street, the clerk knows that I am going straight to the freezer for my ice cream fix. I don't eat some of it and put it back in the freezer when I get home. No, I eat it all. And I hate myself for it. But then, I see an empowering on Facebook about respecting your body. So my empowered self goes out and grabs two more pints of ice cream and I remind myself that it's my body and I can do what I want with it.
What happens now? I'm ten pounds heavier and a little bit closer to obesity or any other weight-related diseases such as diabetes. The body positivity movement is wonderful, but it's missing one thing: if you don't like those extra pounds, get rid of them. If you really don't think you're pretty enough, buy that expensive makeup. Because you can do whatever you want with your body.
Going on a diet plan/exercise plan CAN be beneficial. If you have a habit of going extreme and end up starving yourself, stop reading and please consult a doctor. I'm not promoting anorexia, bulimia, or any other eating disorder. This is not me saying to you that you need to workout twice a day and only eat lettuce for the rest of your life. I'm not telling you to do anything.
But if you don't like it when you eat that pint of ice cream and that whole box of Oreos, be like me and start a plan where you eat half of that pint and only a couple Oreos a week.
One more important thing in the body positivity movement: self-care. Take care of your body, put the right nutrients inside. Don't go to the gym every single day killing yourself on the treadmill. If you don't feel like going to the gym, take a walk around your neighborhood or even to the mailbox. Don't load up on junk food and fast food. Eat a sandwich and opt for the side salad instead of the bag of potato chips at Panera. It's all about caring for your own body. Don't just sit there and hate on your body. It's your body and you can do what you want with it.
So get up (or not) and put down those Oreos and Diet Coke. Because you can change. Yes, you can. It's all up to you. No one else but your beautiful self.
