Does The Body Positivity Movement Have Disadvantages?
Throughout history, the body type considered socially acceptable has been changing, especially for women. It has gone through curvy and thick silhouettes, later voluptuous women were idealized, and in recent years, that figure called “hourglass” is sought. Therefore, it is clear that women have been adapting to the social image of the female gender typical of each era, in many cases at the cost of their physical and mental health.
As a response to the almost unattainable beauty standards that have been established in recent decades, at the end of the 2000s a new movement appeared called Body Positive, aimed at defending beauty at all sizes. Since then, there are many people who defend this position, since they aim to change the conception of beauty in the world and thus fight against Fatphobia, or rejection of fat bodies. However, there is another part of the population that does not fully agree with this movement for various reasons that we will see later.
In today’s article, We will talk about Body Positivity, what it is, how it came about, and we will focus on the advantages and disadvantages what it has and the reason for it. Is it becoming toxic? Does it promote obesity? Does it create eating disorders? Stay to discover the answers to these and more questions and thus generate your own opinion about the movement that has had so much impact.
It is a movement that advocates body acceptance, celebrating bodies of all sizes. Female empowerment and self-love are its main ingredients, thus achieving a positive view of the physical body, regardless of its shape, size or other attributes related to appearance. It involves loving the body for what it is, even if it is not perfect by society’s standards.
In the 1960s, a rebellion arose against the way plus-size women were represented. The goal was to break the link between weight and personal worth, reinforcing that all bodies deserve dignity, respect and fair treatment, regardless of their shape and size. Thus, the movement sought changes in schools, workplaces, and advertising
Advantages of the Body Positive movement
Diversity. It is important that people can identify with a group, and this is only achieved through diversity. We are social beings, we need to generate a sense of belonging. It is crucial to identify with others like us to avoid feeling like weirdos, accept who we are and thus create a much more positive bond with both ourselves and the environment.
Help prevent bullying
Society tends to reject people who are far from what we consider “ideal.” Thanks to Body Positive, respect for differences and imperfections is promoted without the need to attack or reject someone for not meeting social standards.
Improved self-esteem and self-concept
By following this movement, you let go of all those reasons to feel attacked, rejected, or like something is wrong with you. It is accepted that each one is as they are and even, it is okay to be.
Helps understand that it is just a body
Understanding that people are much more than a body, than a scar, than a prosthesis, than acne, than a body, allows us to feel complete without reducing your worth to just that. Physical characteristics do not determine who you are, or how much you are worth.
It is important give a voice to people who have been forgotten or on the margins of society due to their body composition This does not mean that obesity is being promoted, but rather that regardless of how they look, they have the right to have access to clothes of their size and fashion, to a place in society, etc.
Disadvantages of the Body Positive movement
Among the negative aspects that this social phenomenon can give rise to, the following are worth highlighting.
Overweight
A part of the population believes that by promoting acceptance, overweight or obesity is being normalized. Sometimes unhealthy nutritional habits are encouraged among the population.
Focus on appearance
The movement focuses solely on appearance. The members of the movement fight for all bodies to be socially accepted and for there to not be a strict and immovable canon of beauty; nevertheless, They don’t look at what’s behind all this This movement is criticized for not focusing on self-esteem, self-love, self-worth, etc. After all, it is very difficult to feel good about yourself if you do not work on the most psychological part of all this.
There is a lack of representation
Although diversity is one of the values of the Body Positivity movement, in practice, it seems to have trouble defending it. For example, a recent study on body positive posts on the social network TikTok has revealed that Most of this content revolves around Western beauty ideals
In conclusion…
The ideal would be the combination between body positive and body neutrality, since body neutrality is based on accepting the body as it is and appreciating it for what it can do for you, not so much for aesthetics but for functionality. Our bodies and ourselves are constantly changing, which means that some days we will love ourselves for who we are, while other days, self-love may seem like too much to ask. By incorporating both body positivity and body neutrality into our lives, we can select the focus most in line with our thinking on any given day.
