8 Things Body Positivity/Liberation Is NOT
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There are a LOT of things people misunderstand
Today we’re going to talk about what body positivity is not, as there are many misconceptions out there. I’ve spent a lot of time describing my journey to self-love and body positivity. On any given day, I spend an exhaustingly large amount of time defending my position on my Twitter and here on Medium as well as on Quora. So today, I’m going to explain the top things body positivity is not.
1. It Is Not A Group Of People Lying To Themselves
Those who are invested in thin culture love to say body positivity/acceptance/liberation advocates, and devotees are lying to themselves. They want to be thin and are trying to make themselves feel better by pretending to love their bodies.
Nope. After decades of yo-yo dieting, starving and bingeing cycles, miserable workouts, and hating my body, I finally love myself as I am; belly rolls, flabby arms, cellulite, and all. I made the decision my mental health is more important than an impossible fight to be thin.
2. It Is Not Glorifying Or Promoting Obesity
Another favourite for the fat haters out there. You’re glorifying obesity; you want others to be as unhealthy as you are! If the posts published by body liberation activists contained a call to action, asking others to become fat, I would agree that fat/body acceptance promotes obesity.
They don’t, though! I have never seen a single post that says anything more than “I’m fat, and I’m happy as I am. I don’t want or need to lose weight.” Notice all the “I” in there.
Body positivity/liberation supporters are not saying everyone should be fat. They are not saying anyone should be fat.
They simply say that they refuse to make themselves miserable, forcing their bodies to become a size they were never meant to be.
These influencers say they are beautiful as they are, not that they would be beautiful if they lost weight.
