No body is the same, but every body deserves love, respect, and acceptance. Body positivity was made in the hopes of "reducing potential disordered eating and distorted body image triggers, while reducing the oppressive language that excludes fat people from access to resources." The term means to cherish every inch, curve, and speck of your body and the changes it will endure as you age. In addition, the meaning highlights and "offers freedom from suffocating societal messages that keep people in a perpetual struggle with their bodies."
Everyone has off days, personally, like many others, I've struggled with body image growing up. I've actually haven't been able to use Instagram since my middle school days. However, those who do face a plethora of body-judgment–both from themselves and others.
Those who are under constant scrutiny **cough cough** celebrities are shamed for both losing and gaining weight, but there is more to the person than just their physical appearance and body type. Ashley Graham, Chrissy Teigen, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Tyra Banks, Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, etc. have all stood up against body negativity.
"I love my mama. She has helped me to be a strong woman so I can overcome these kinds of attacks, but if I had lower self-esteem, I would probably be starving myself right now." (Tyra Banks)
There is no need for fat-shaming. It doesn't help people get to a better, more beneficial place in their life. In reality, according to studies done in the University College London, the stress and pressure results in "greatly reduced chance[s] of weight loss" and instead, a tendency to "gain weight and become obese." Fat-shaming creates eating disorders and unhealthy lifestyle habits.
Many oppose the movement declaring body positivity is ignoring nutritional and medical facts as those overweight aren't by typical standards "healthy," but that is between them and their doctor, not me or you or anyone else. We are all made uniquely and what is healthy for you may not be what's beneficial for another human being. The phrase "healthy at every size," isn't, unlike popular opinion, praising obesity. Instead, the campaign hopes to generate "positive changes made for the sake of being healthier" by getting rid of the guilt, humiliation, and misery that comes with not having a so-called "perfect" body.
Body positivity is about size acceptance within our society in hopes of bettering our community as a whole.
The movement chooses to rather focus on the positive accepts of humanity and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle rather than the negative approach of fat-shaming.
"When you look in the mirror and say, 'I'm ugly, I'm hideous, I'm fat,' at the end of the day, you are going to become ugly or fat [in your eyes]." (Ashley Graham)
As a fitness trainer, I'm happy to say that the goal of exercising is not to get skinny. This isn't a positive outlook to teach young girls and boys; having a healthy life is about being confident, eating foods that make you feel good, and doing activities that help your body. These are all individualized subjects that do not require anyone's outside judgment.
Moreover, attaching the statement "body positivity" to workout videos and articles promising to make you miraculously have a modelesque body or lose all that extra fat is not, in fact, body positive. The way you are is beautiful and taking different actions is not to become beautiful or happy or confident, you already are. Instead, fitness is a way to learn more about your body and the challenges it can endure.
