With everyone from influencers, celebrities, and the media placing it in the limelight, body positivity is being discussed more than ever. The concept is not new by any means. Starting in the 1960s by ‘larger’ queer black women, the movement was initially geared towards challenging the societal standard of what bodies should look like – the goal was to bring about fat acceptance and celebrate plus-sized bodies. Protestors burned photos of models and books propagating diet culture; they also organized lectures and seminars in schools. This development eventually led to the birth of the body positivity movement.
By definition, ‘body positivity is a social movement that emphasizes the importance of appreciation, respect, and acceptance for everyone regardless of their shape, weight, or size. It is important, however, to realize that body positivity as a concept is a bit more complex and layered, especially now as it recognizes that the need for acceptance moves beyond just acceptance based on physical appearance. Body positivity also involves acceptance for people of any gender and sexual orientation along with those who are differently-abled. The movement strives to help people see the extent to which popular media and cultures mold their judgment towards food, exercise, health, and self-image. It aims to help individuals reject diet culture, challenge the views of an ‘ideal physique’, and ultimately help develop a better mindset towards food and one’s own body.
Over time, the initial message became skewed. Around 2010, the body positivity movement began on online platforms, where larger women of color knit a community for themselves that enabled them to discuss how their identities prevented them from being treated equally to others. A few years passed and ‘influencers’ began garnering popularity, this was when plus-sized influencers started utilizing the body positivity hashtag on popular social media sites, which was received well by followers. Soon enough even the leaner creators began spreading the hashtag and message. Although everyone is entitled to feeling acceptance towards their bodies by breaking free from internalized patriarchy, it was here that the movement digressed. Content creators began to pinpoint their ‘flaws’- tummy rolls, hip dips, jiggly thighs, and cellulite – and then promote self-love; acceptance for all, particularly those who were outcasted and left without a voice, morphed into the promotion of self-love and the influencers themselves.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with self-love, but for individuals struggling to find acceptance from within, going from disliking or even hating their bodies to loving everything about themselves is simply far too unrealistic. Having the world constantly put out the message that we must love ourselves fully, pressures people to feel great about themselves at any given instance (even when they can not) and worse, feel guilty about having negative self-thoughts. Which strays away from the initial goal of acceptance completely.
Companies quickly realized that body positivity sells. Brands began to include plus-size models in their campaigns as a way to connect to their customers under the pretense of body positivity. Regardless, the featured plus-sized models were still conventionally good-looking hourglass figures. The companies claimed that they were representing ‘real’ bodies when in reality all they did was slightly broaden the range of models. That in itself is a problem because they have effectively said that the slender models who previously represented the company are not considered ‘real’ and women who did not look like the new campaign models were not marketable. At the end of the day, people did not feel as though they were represented well and the brands benefited by turning a profit through the act.
A major issue with the body positivity movement is that it is being equated to health. The cosmopolitan magazine received heat for their February edition which showcased plus-sized models, captioning it “this is healthy”. The criticism stemmed from the fact that the magazine was telling impressionable readers that being obese is considered healthy when in reality it leads to a plethora of issues. The message that being accepting towards the various shapes of bodies blurred into all bodies is healthy bodies, which is not the case.
If body positivity is not the same positive space it used to be, what should be done about it? Celebrities like Jameela Jamil and Lizzo acknowledge that the body positivity movement is blemished; they instead promote a lesser-known concept: body neutrality. This means that one need not love or hate their body, rather they should accept and be grateful for its ability to function effectively. It revolves around the idea that one must champion what the body can do instead of its appearance, and one can still tend to and care for their body without having a positive outlook towards it. This might be a more viable option for many people struggling to find the comfort they desire when it comes to their perspective of their bodies.