It’s not as simple as accepting yourself no matter what.
May I ask what do you know of body positivity? Is it about loving and accepting your body? Accepting you for what you are? Be confident and proud the way you look? Internally and outerly? Is it as simple as that? Is it all about loving and accepting yourself?
Before we dive in further, what is Body Positivity?
According to Wikipedia, body positivity is a social movement initially created to empower and shed light on plus size women and men, while challenging the ways in which society presents and views the physical body. The movement advocates the acceptance of all bodies regardless of physical ability, size, gender, race, or appearance. Body-positive activists believe that size is just one of the many ways that our bodies are placed in a power and desirability hierarchy and are working alongside all social justice movements to bring attention to the intersectional problems across race, gender, sexuality, and physical capability. The goal of the movement is to address unrealistic beauty standards and to build the confidence of oneself and others. The movement sets forth the notion that beauty is a construct of society and poses that this construct should not infringe upon one's ability to feel confidence or self-worth. The idea surrounding the body positivity movement is centered around the notion that people need to love themselves to the fullest while accepting their physical traits.
Ideally, goals of the body positivity movement include:
challenging how society views the body
promoting the acceptance of all bodies
helping people build confidence and acceptance of their own bodies
addressing unrealistic body standards
Also depending on who you ask, body positivity can mean:
Appreciating your body in spite of flaws
Feeling confident about your body
Loving yourself
Accepting your body’s shape and size
Everything sounds good for now. Nowadays with the current technology where all source of entertainment and knowledge all at within your palm, body positivity role play extended further. The media tends to promote unrealistic body standards; mainstream media; tv and magazines, social media by all celebrities and influencers.
With social media many by now may aware all these looks achieve either through:
Wealth: No pain no gain, and with money wealthy people are able to afford expensive gym membership and hiring personal trainers to help them to achieve certain body shapes. Spa, organic foods, which can help to contribute a healthier and relaxing lifestyle for them to maintain their body. Alternatively they also can afford either going through expensive weight loss programs or plastic surgeries.
Technology: Camera angle tricks, photoshops, photo manipulations!
Despite these, sadly still suffering self-worth issues which can lead into multiple problems; mentally an physically; problems that can emerge as a result of poor body image include:
Depression: Women experience depression at much higher rates than men do, and some researchers believe that body dissatisfaction may play an important role in explaining this gender difference in depression rates.
Low self-esteem: Research has found that body dissatisfaction is associated with poor self-esteem in adolescents regardless of their gender, age, weight, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Eating disorders: Research also indicates that body dissatisfaction is linked to disordered eating, particularly among adolescent girls.
Basically body positivity movements is to help people to "defy" what social perceived as 'ideal body', which tends to be unrealistic. So when did body positivity gone wrong?
Fat Acceptance
As taken from Wikipedia, the fat acceptance movement (also known as fat pride, fat empowerment, and fat activism) is a social movement seeking to change anti-fat bias in social attitudes by raising awareness among the general public about the obstacles faced by fat people. Areas of contention include the aesthetic, legal, and medical approaches to people whose bodies are fatter than the social norm.
The movement has been criticized, with Cathy Young, writing for The Boston Globe, claiming that "the fat acceptance movement is hazardous to our health", and Barbara Kay, writing for the National Post, stating that "fat-acceptance is not the answer to obesity."
To be honest, the issue is actually simple; body positivity is not just about loving your body, but also to take care of it! Now before anyone begin to call me out for shaming, hear me out. Main issues with most people who are embracing and promoting body positivity (weather they're at the far spectrum of fat or thin), DID NOT TAKE CARE OF THEIR BODY nor having any health issues that preventing them from losing or gaining weight. This is indeed worrisome; people continue to live unhealthy lifestyle and promoting others to do so. No it shouldn't be that way. It's also quite ironic nowadays most people loathed anorexia, the one at the end of thin spectrum for having unhealthy lifestyle, but did have same view with obesity. Double standard much?
Health-focused Self-care
A little anecdote, while my bf love and appreciate my body, he suggested I should still exercise so I could be healthier. He himself would have a walk or jog for at least an hour daily to stay fit and healthy. Mind you he is not a gym freak (he didn't even go to the gym) or buff fellow, but he understand the importance to stay healthy. He also had been taking care of his food intakes and practicing healthy and practical diets.
I do believe before we are concern with anything else (body shape, weight, dress, makeups), we should be taking care our mental health first. When we are at the right mind we are able to be more rational in taking care of ourselves. For starters eat healthy. Healthy meals help to fuel your mind and body. Self-care should focus on doing things that make you feel good about the body you have now.
Buy clothes that fit your current body. I know some of us buy "thinner clothes" for our future self. Yes this can help you to motivate to lose weight, but it also can be detrimental to your mental health by making you feel you current body is not good enough. Get rid that kind of energy!
Stop comparing yourself with others! Maybe slow down with social media, stop following people you're envy or admire with, especially those who have lifestyle far from what you have. Yes admire, you read it right. Many didn't realize admiration is another form of envy. If you feel you had been spending too much admiring and wishing to be like the other person, you're indeed comparing yourself to them. It's time to click that unfollow button! Instead, try following body positive accounts that are inclusive of all body types, shapes, colors, genders, and abilities. Go through their life stories, judge from there.
Remember, loving your body, loving and accepting yourself is to take care of your mental and physical health. Show respect for your body.
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