Body positivity
[6] Body-positive advocates believe that size, like race, gender, sexuality, and physical capability, is one of the many ways that our bodies are placed in a power and desirability hierarchy.
[8][9][10] In other words, judgments about one's physical appearance inherently place one on a certain rung of a ladder that rates and values one's desirability, effectively increasing or reducing one's power in society.
The movement aims to challenge unrealistic ideals of physical attractiveness, build positive body image, and improve self-confidence.
[11] As part of the first wave of feminism from the 1850s-1890s, the Victorian dress reform movement aimed to put an end to the trend of women having to modify their bodies through use of corsets and tightlacing in order to fit the societal standard of tiny waistlines.
The practice of tight-lacing proved to have many negative health risks, such as damage to their internal organs such as deformation to the ribcage and stomach atrophy[22] due to the tight lacing.
This event involved a group of people who were partaking while holding posters of a famous thin woman and setting diet books on fire.
Louderback's contribution inspired the creation of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) in 1969 by Bill Fabrey, with the mission of ending discrimination based on body weight.
[25] The second wave of the body positivity movement prioritized providing people of all sizes a place where they could comfortably come together and exercise.
[26][27] The third wave of the body positivity movement arose around 2012 largely as a response to the increase in social media culture and advertisements.
[12] Model and feminist Tess Holliday founded '@EffYourBeautyStandards', which brought an outpour of support to the body positivity movement.
[a][31][32][33][34] Additionally, in the spring 2019 New York Fashion Week, a total of 49 models that were considered plus-size made an appearance in 12 shows.
[58] Aerie has begun featuring body positive influencers in their photo shoots and advertising campaigns, as well as plus sized models.
[11] In 2019, Decathlon joined the efforts of other companies with their #LeggingsForEverybody campaign, stating their mission as "to boost body confidence and support you in your fitness journey".
[60] Several influencers such as AerieReal model Iskra Lawrence have been preaching body positivity, creating hashtags such as #IWokeUpLikeThis, #EffYourBeautyStandards, #HonorMyCurves, #CelebrateMySize, #GoldenConfidence, and #ImNoModelEither.
Instagram and Facebook are some social platforms that, as of 2019, have body positive policies that cause advertisements for cosmetic surgery, weight loss supplements, and detox products, to be hidden from underaged demographics.
[62] In addition to promoting positive body image, these policies aim to curb the advertisement of supplements unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
[63] Social media platforms such as Instagram are frequently used to post body positivity content and fuel related discussion.
A central complaint is that excessive approval of overweight and obese individuals could dissuade them from desiring to improve their health, leading to lifestyle disease.
[70] A 2012 study found that among a sample of 1,130 trainee dietitians, nutritionists, nurses and medical doctors, only 1.4% had "positive or neutral attitudes" regarding excess body fat.
Gender scholar Amber E. Kinser[72] wrote that posting an unedited photo of your body to a social media website, which is an example of an action associated with the movement, does little to prevent women's worth from being directly correlated to their physical appearance.
[74] With Instagram being a photo-sharing social media site, the effort to place the focus less on appearance has been criticized to be contradictory.
Researcher Lisa Legault argues that an undue emphasis on body positivity can "stifle and diminish important negative feelings."
Because they are motivated by self-care rather than shame or guilt, people who are body positive engage in healthy habits like exercise and balanced eating.
[81] Having a positive approach to life and accepting uncomfortable situations has proven to help keep one's mind healthy and resilient.
