Body Positivity In Depth

Confusion in the body positive community.

One of my favorite things to do is watch Youtube videos. Recently, one of the Youtubers I subscribe to admitted that she had weight loss surgery. Almost immediately, there were videos and comments about how she was no longer “body positive.” For some reason there is a notion that if you lose weight you hate yourself and you have somehow betrayed the plus size movement. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this kind of negativity. Not only is it hypocritical, but it’s also inaccurate. I’ve decided to define and explain what the term means for whomever may not know.

What is body positivity?

According to Wikipedia, “The Body Positive Movement is a movement that encourages people to adopt more forgiving and affirming attitudes towards their bodies, with the goal of improving overall health and well-being.” Nowhere in this definition states it only applies to plus size women, nor does it state if you decide to lose weight you can no longer be a part of it. On the other hand, it does say the goal is to improve health and well-being, which can be mental, physical, or emotional. This means you can, in fact, lose weight, work out, or go on a diet and still be body positive. You can be a size 2 or a size 22 and still be body positive.

The ultimate goal.

If you condemn another woman for going to the gym, or losing weight, you have misconstrued the purpose of the movement. Furthermore, you are just as bad as the body shamers you claim to be against. Who are you to tell someone whether or not they are body positive? We cannot create a safe space for all bodies, then exclude people from it because their choices differ from ours. We cannot say “I support women” then follow that up with “But she is lazy/ugly/too fat/too skinny.” This movement should be a sisterhood where we uplift and support. I will continue to promote body positivity in an all-inclusive matter. Hopefully, you will too.