Body positivity is all the rage these days. People have suffered stress, anxiety, and severe negative mental health issues due to the way the media promotes unrealistic body ideals. With body positivity, they are finally choosing to define their own standards of beauty.
The roots of the movement can be traced back to the 1850s when the first wave of feminism swept the Western World and women and their doctors rallied against the prevailing fashion of tightlacing and corseting.
In more recent times, the fat rights movement of the late 1960s protested the discrimination against fat people. From the formation of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance to the ground-breaking Fat Liberation Manifesto of the Fat Underground, advocates called out the toxic effects of body bias.
However, body positivity truly began to gain traction in the 1990s while waifish supermodel Kate Moss was the ubiquitous face of the desirable ‘size zero’ look. With the average dress size of the American women being a size 14, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia became prolific, particularly in young people.
In 1996, after her experience with an eating disorder, and losing her sister to the same, Connie Sobczak founded The Body Positive, thus cementing the term that defines this social movement.
You be the Judge
So what exactly does body positivity mean? In general terms, body positivity is the acceptance of your body’s current shape, size, and ability. It is the separation of self-worth and physical appearance. This means allowing yourself to enjoy the body you have and not putting yourself down for natural changes such as aging or motherhood.
Body diversity features heavily in the body positivity movement. As the United States moves towards a more inclusive society, people are demanding that all body types be represented and celebrated.
The message is not lost on men either. Tired of being judged for not packing a smothering squint and chiseled abs, men are keeping it real about their lockdown bodies and embracing the ‘dad bod’.
Despite how body positivity sounds like all sunshine and rainbows, it is not about relinquishing responsibility for taking good care of your health. Instead, it is a framework by which you can objectively examine the lifestyle choices that work for you, within the circumstances that you are in.
An important change in mentality in the realm of body positivity is the focus shift from body shape to body function. People are encouraged to respect their bodies and partake in health-based self-care for their overall wellbeing. This could be choosing healthy meals that provide energy throughout the day or engaging in exercise to feel strong and flexible.
Ultimately, it is about doing what feels right for you because you love yourself and not because of external messages on how you should look.
Can Medical Intervention be Body Positive?
While we agree that this all sounds wonderful, there are some constraints to the body positivity movement.
One criticism is that the body positivity movement is non-inclusive to those who suffer from severe distress due to their current physical state. Another aspect of this is the writing-off of surgery as a legitimate way to achieve self-acceptance.
For transgender people experiencing body dysphoria, it is virtually impossible for them to make peace with their bodies. Messages like ‘love yourself just the way you are’ may mean well, but in fact erase the identities and trivialize the struggles of trans people.
A prime example of this is actor Elliot Page, who suffered from depression before coming out as gay and has now transitioned from female to male. In such cases, hormone therapy and top or bottom surgery are necessary for the psychological health of the person in question.
For some people who are dangerously obese and unable to lose weight through other means, bariatric surgery could also be a form of enacting body positivity. It is a bizarre situation when fat people are shamed for being fat yet also shamed for considering surgery to help themselves manage their weight.
This is not to say that the medical profession does not have an intrinsic problem with fat bias. But with life-threatening risks associated with obesity such as diabetes, it is important to be medically assessed and consider the advice of health experts.
Similarly, many cosmetic procedures that can have far-reaching positive psychological effects on individuals have been simply dismissed. These could include surgery to remove excess skin, targeted fat removal, laser removal of scar tissue, permanent hair removal, and more. While seemingly banal to bystanders, such procedures could greatly improve the body image, mental health, and confidence of individuals.
Continuing the Conversation
In this age of pervasive social media, the body positivity movement is critical to creating accountability in media beauty standards. On the whole, it has helped people feel more control over their identity and self-image. That said, the body positivity message can also be another source of stress, especially for those that do not fit the standard mold.
Moving on, we need to be able to discuss ideas around healthy weight loss, healthy weight gain, and physical augmentation without shame. Just as there should not be pressure to look amazing all the time, there should not be pressure to unequivocally accept our bodies.
We need people to understand that their physical and mental wellness takes precedence over societal expectations. We need to normalize consulting medical professionals instead of weighing scales. And we need to remember that we are more than just our outer appearances.
By respecting our bodies and being true to our needs, we can break away from being our own harshest critics and become our best allies instead.