Your body is never a problem; the problem is body image. Nowadays, women’s bodies are being objectified in the media, and their body image is being defined by their unattainable appearance. And when some women can not live up to those cultural ideals, people hold them guilty. This calls for redefining body image by not just the look of beauty but its meaning and value in our lives. We have to start the process by being able to see the invisible shame that is a normal part of our lives. What is body positivity, why is it important, and what change can it bring in this era?
What Is Body Positivity?
Over the last 15 years or so, lots of well-meaning people and companies have worked to improve women’s body image by pushing the message that all women are beautiful, but it is never going to fix the problem. Body positivity is a movement that focuses on the acceptance of all body types, regardless of body size, shape, skin tone, or flaws. It means that body image constructed by society should never determine your value and self-worth. Also, you need to know what is body positivity movement as it started in the late 90s and 2000s. When people interacted online, the fat movement activists saw the need to stop online negativity and cyberbullying. That’s when body positivity started.
Reasons For Body Positivity
When people started interacting on the internet, body shaming and cyberbullying became the norm. Fat activists started body positivity campaigns to stop all this negativity from taking its roots deeper. Here are four reasons why body positivity is important.
1. Nourishing Self-Love
We all live in a body-obsessed society and our heads are filled up with the ideal notions of a perfect figure. Body positivity is a radical form of self-love. It is significant because it encourages you to love each aspect of your body. In the end, you love yourself.
2. Promoting Better Mental Health
The image of your body indirectly affects your self-esteem and mental health. When all the ideas you here revolve around body image and being skinny, you can’t help but think negatively about your body. You have to become body positive to achieve mental peace and better mental health.
3. Encouraging Acceptance in Society
If we want to create acceptance for every body type, we need to encourage positive body image. Every one of us should know what is body positivity and why is it so important. In this world, people will constantly try to change you, but you have to accept your true self.
4. Challenging the Beauty Standards
Society has made up beauty standards that made the life of girls and women tough. Challenging the ideal body image doesn’t mean you are leading an unhealthy lifestyle. It means you stay fit according to your body type, and do not conform to the norms of social media.
Body Positivity and Body Neutrality
What is body positivity? It suggests one should love him or herself and stay positive about their appearance. Body neutrality, on the other hand, explains it is neither about loving nor hating your appearance, but it is about accepting who you are and what you look like. You have to accept your flaws and imperfections the way they are. This way, you will be confident in your body, and no one can point out the flaws that you already embraced. Thus, you will focus more on what wonders your body can do rather than how it looks.
How To Work Towards Being Body Positive?
Now that we know what is body positivity and why it should be important, we should know how to work towards body positive mindset. Here are a few suggestions.
1. Focus On the Things Your Body Can Do
The first thing you need to do is to shift away your focus from your appearance and start to appreciate what it can do. If you can perform daily physical activities with ease, you should be grateful. You can walk, run, or even stand as you are washing dishes, your body is good enough.
2. Practice Body Neutrality
Practicing body positivity might be a bit difficult for you at first. One cannot start loving their body instantly. You can start by accepting your flaws and shortcomings. This is called body neutrality. You accept without having to hate or love your appearance. This way you can be positive about yourself.
3. Develop a Healthy Diet Routine
Developing a healthy diet routine will improve your mental and physical health. This will help encourage you to boost your confidence. When you take care of your body, eat healthy food, and exercise a little bit to stay fit, it makes you more satisfied with your life.
4. Wear Body Flattering Clothes
Start appreciating your body by wearing clothes that flatter your body. You don’t have to feel awful about not being able to wear certain clothes. You only have to find clothes that suit your body type. This makes you work vigilantly towards body positivity.
5. Follow Body Positive Content
The content you see and follow on social media influences your thoughts a lot. Start following the body-positive content on all platforms to see what real beauty means. You don’t have to run for the unattainable beauty standards this society has made.
6. Seek Help From a Therapist
If you are experiencing severe distress due to unimaginable body image and beauty standards, you should seek help. A therapist can be your guide to seeking mental peace and a way toward body positivity.
Connection Between Body Image and Eating Disorder
This society creates unrealistic body image and fitness goals which makes people starve themselves. Young girls skip breakfast and dinner thinking they will fit into the standards society has created. This creates stress among women, and they suffer from eating disorders. That’s because girls and women are not suffering because of the unattainable ways beauty is being defined. They are suffering because they are being defined by beauty.
We should focus on making sure women are valued as more than bodies. A positive body image needs to be instilled in society as soon as possible. While body positivity intends to help people seek satisfaction, it also instills that people can live however they want. This means that this concept can promote an unhealthy lifestyle. However, people can learn and improve. The above article showed you what is body positivity and why it is important. This clears the path for you to achieve a happy, healthy, and satisfactory life.
Also Read: A positive body image encourages you to have self-respect that makes your life happy.
