So what is it?In a nutshell, the Body Positive movement was created in response to the criticism women face for not fitting society’s current standards of beauty. It’s led to women taking pictures of themselves with no makeup, in bikinis, displaying their disabilities, showing off their stretch marks and scars, and tagging them #bodypositive to show what they think of society’s ideas of beauty. Women are sharing stories of self harm, eating disorders, struggling with weight gain, effects of childbirth, anything and everything that has affected their bodies in one way or another. It’s a celebration of women’s bodies in all their natural beauty. Celebrities are even taking part, refusing to let magazines photoshop them into airbrushed Barbies and calling out the shitty standards to which women are forced to conform. Our goddess Amy Schumer makes a particularly good point about the stigma of feeling unwanted or undesirable to men when seen as “overweight,” or “plus sized”:
And what even is plus sized? Plus what? Society tells us that a “Size Zero” is more acceptable than a “Size 12” which, let me say, is baloney. The topic of weight gain is the backbone of the movement, being the root cause of problems like eating disorders or a contributing cause of others like childbirth. There is so much shame around being fat/overweight that women of all ages, even down to seven years old, are dieting themselves into oblivion or binging and purging to try and shed those shameful pounds. We’re taught to hate our natural bodies. Our little lower stomach roll, which is a completely natural part of the female body, has whole workouts dedicated to its destruction. We loathe stretch marks and cellulite, even though, again, they are COMPLETELY NATURAL. Society hates weight gain so much it’s even got nicknames, like the dreaded “Freshman 15”. No one tells you, growing up, that changes in lifestyle can lead to changes in weight. So even if your eating and exercise habits stay the same as before college, you can still gain weight due to higher levels of stress, lack of sleep, and a multitude of other factors. But it’s not like anyone will tell you that, because we’re all being convinced that any and all weight gain is unacceptable and will lead to being shunned immediately.
People’s immediate reaction to the BodyPosi movement is often that it’s teaching girls to be unhealthy and overweight. NO. Wrong. It’s about removing the stigma of possessing characteristics deemed unappealing by society. The movement wants to see girls celebrating their thunder thighs with booty shorts and tight skirts in the summer, not hiding their cellulite under jeans in ninety-degree weather. This movement is a celebration of all our little quirks. Hairy underarms? Hate shaving? Then fuck it! Hate bras? Forget the damn things, yes, even if you have bit boobs! The bottom line of this movement is to celebrate who you are. Love yourself. Look within yourself for confidence, not to anyone else. To the aunties who will pinch your love handles and ask where they came from: say sorry, it’s who I am. If a boy sees your naked body and doesn’t weep with joy at the gift he has been given, say goodbye. The Body Positive movement isn’t about being fit or fat. It’s about acceptance, love, and confidence. It’s about being ok with our bodies no matter what condition they are in. If our bodies are temples, we should be able to decorate them as we see fit, whether that is with cake or hot yoga or tattoos or designer clothes. Our cellulite is not hurting you. If it is offending you, I suggest you avert your eyes and check your priorities. They might be a little out of line.
Check out their official website for more info: