Find out what this movement actually stands for.
Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse, according to a March 2020 presentation from Instagram.
In recent years, social media has negatively affected the mental health and body image of countless users. In a New York Times article it was stated that social media is constantly showing filtered and edited photos of people and bodies that ultimately do more harm than good.
In response to the damage done by social media, the body positivity movement has surfaced. The body positivity movement was started with the intention that all bodies are beautiful, and that they don’t have to match social media’s impossible beauty standards.
However, some people believe that the body positivity movement promotes obesity. Prominent weight stigmatization and fat-shaming in society has added to the narrative that becoming more accepting of bigger bodies is promoting obesity.
“The body positivity movement stands for helping people gain confidence back in themselves and disrupt the narrative that we have to look a certain way to be respected,” said Liz Knight, junior public health major and president of Temple’s chapter of Project HEAL, a society that helps students gain access to treatment for eating disorders.
To say that the body positivity movement is only promoting obesity undermines the work it has done to make so many people feel positive or at the very least neutral about their bodies. Social media and internalized fatphobia fed by constantly increasing beauty standards have absolutely wrecked body image for millions.
When we begin to have more open and honest conversations about body image and societal standards, then we can begin the uphill battle to normalize or even just neutralize all body types.
“The body positivity movement is about viewing yourself as more than your body; looking in the mirror you don’t see what you don’t like, you see what you do like,” said Kate Garrett, junior human development and community engagement major, and vice president of Temple’s Project HEAL chapter.
“I am tired of people being ashamed of their bodies or how they live and exist; if body positivity is what keeps people from hurting themselves, fine,” said Dr. Jeni Stolow, an Assistant Professor for the College of Public Health professor and staff advisor of Project HEAL.
If this movement can provide some confidence to even a percentage of people affected by the pressure of body image and beauty standards, the opinions of naysayers don’t matter because they don’t care about the individual.
“I think the fear is that promoting self-acceptance conveys the idea that obesity is not a problem. I think that’s a misperception”, said Dr. Jennifer Orlet Fisher, associate director of Temple’s Center for Obesity Research and Education. “I think that most experts would agree that feeling good about oneself and having confidence is probably helpful for engaging in and maintaining healthy behaviors.”
This statement makes the argument that those who believe that the body positivity movement promotes obesity only care about keeping body standards rather than promoting happy lifestyles and supporting those who are trying to accept their bodies.
“Some people say they are in the body positivity mindset, but they are really only body positive when anyone with a small waist and big hips.” Kate Garrett adds.
Many people still hold this internalized fatphobia and body image standards that just truly get in the way of self-acceptance.