No, sorry but obesity is not just another 'body size'.
For the most part, I support the positive body image movement.
I believe that women are unique and do come in different shapes and sizes. Some women have broad shoulders, some women have big breasts. Some women have small breasts. Some women are pear shaped, some are slim and athletic. Point is, we are all different.
The images that women are exposed to on a daily basis are photoshopped with thighs and waists trimmed. Stretch marks and cellulite covered. Having a positive body image in today's society is an uphill battle, even for healthy women.
For a long time women were sold that being thin, tall, blonde and young was the 'ideal'.
What is sold to women as 'flaws' by the beauty industry are subjective. The beauty industry has made a lot of money off women's insecurities. They promise us magic creams to get rid of stretch marks, cellulite, how to lose weight fast. All based on the premise that we are imperfect and need to fix our 'flaws' urgently. That all our problems will be solved if we do. If we have the perfect body we will be happy forever.
We have now flipped our attitudes to support women who don't fit into the mold of being thin, blonde, young and pretty. For the most part this can be seen as a good shift.
Being part of the positive body image movement consists of mandatory social media pictures of women in swimwear, regardless of their size and encouraging other women to do the same. The reaction they have received has been mixed, with some lauding them for their 'bravery' and others continuing to body shaming them.
Positive body image should be about firstly, challenging the narrow concept of 'beauty' by gaining confidence (to some degree it does this). Secondly, being healthy inside and out.
The issue I have with the movement is that we now see pictures of overweight women and label that as part of being healthy and promoting positive body image when it's actually not. Merely labelling obesity as just another 'body type' is a health hazard. These women use tags like '#fatgirlsbewinning #fatgirlscan #fatpositive #allbodiesaregoodbodies. There are very little positives, health wise, to being 'fat'. Likewise to being too thin or losing weight in an unhealthy way.
No one should celebrate being overweight. Positive body image should be used to portray healthy bodies of different sizes within a healthy weight range. That doesn't mean that size 26 (which didn't actually exist for many years) is 'healthy'. We should celebrate different body types, not by promoting obesity or anorexia.
If you disagree, let me ask you this: Would you promote smoking? A person may have a positive attitude to smoking but it doesn't mean smoking is healthy. I could have hashtags with #smokingispositive #positivesmoking #chickswithciggies. You get the message. You can be as positive as you want but if you have an underlying health issue, that may need to be addressed. It's harmful for young girls to see those images and think that it is ok and healthy to be overweight.
I don't think obese people should be ashamed of themselves. I do, however think it's harmful to label it as just another 'healthy body size'. In the same way that anorexics should not be portrayed as 'another body size'. Both of them are unhealthy and proven health risks.
We seem to forget that there is such a thing as 'quiet confidence' we don't have to plaster images of ourselves all over social media to prove how confident we are within ourselves. It is not the only test of self esteem and body confidence.
The amount of images you share of yourself on social media does not always equate to true body confidence. It can actually mean the opposite, that your insecurities need to be validated by strangers.
Quiet confidence is rare these days. How many instagrammers with 'perfect' bodies (with their ass hanging out) are clogging up the newsfeeds? who apparently spend 7 days a week in a bikini on the beach, posting the same images again and again.
Maybe I'm alone here, but even when I was at my fittest, I never felt the need to pose relentlessly on a beach for any purpose. You can be quietly confident with your body. It is possible.
Quiet confidence means that you are happy with what you've got but you don't feel the need to show it off every five minutes. You're not posting pictures everyday to gain likes, followers and attention. Is anyone else getting bored of the same images being showed hourly? Maybe I'm not the intended audience.
A person with a healthy self esteem doesn't mean they have a healthy body and the two should not be confused.
Positive body image should include shapes and sizes that fit within a healthy weight range. This will help send the right messages to young girls and women.
By all means, positive body image can advertise the fact that 'flaws' are subjective such as stretchmarks, cellulite and not fitting into a mold. I just don't believe that positively enforcing obesity is the right way to go about it, especially when obesity is such a huge cost on our healthcare system.
We want a happy and healthy society. Health being the priority.
Thanks for reading.
xx
For the most part, I support the positive body image movement.
I believe that women are unique and do come in different shapes and sizes. Some women have broad shoulders, some women have big breasts. Some women have small breasts. Some women are pear shaped, some are slim and athletic. Point is, we are all different.
The images that women are exposed to on a daily basis are photoshopped with thighs and waists trimmed. Stretch marks and cellulite covered. Having a positive body image in today's society is an uphill battle, even for healthy women.
For a long time women were sold that being thin, tall, blonde and young was the 'ideal'.
What is sold to women as 'flaws' by the beauty industry are subjective. The beauty industry has made a lot of money off women's insecurities. They promise us magic creams to get rid of stretch marks, cellulite, how to lose weight fast. All based on the premise that we are imperfect and need to fix our 'flaws' urgently. That all our problems will be solved if we do. If we have the perfect body we will be happy forever.
We have now flipped our attitudes to support women who don't fit into the mold of being thin, blonde, young and pretty. For the most part this can be seen as a good shift.
Being part of the positive body image movement consists of mandatory social media pictures of women in swimwear, regardless of their size and encouraging other women to do the same. The reaction they have received has been mixed, with some lauding them for their 'bravery' and others continuing to body shaming them.
Positive body image should be about firstly, challenging the narrow concept of 'beauty' by gaining confidence (to some degree it does this). Secondly, being healthy inside and out.
The issue I have with the movement is that we now see pictures of overweight women and label that as part of being healthy and promoting positive body image when it's actually not. Merely labelling obesity as just another 'body type' is a health hazard. These women use tags like '#fatgirlsbewinning #fatgirlscan #fatpositive #allbodiesaregoodbodies. There are very little positives, health wise, to being 'fat'. Likewise to being too thin or losing weight in an unhealthy way.
No one should celebrate being overweight. Positive body image should be used to portray healthy bodies of different sizes within a healthy weight range. That doesn't mean that size 26 (which didn't actually exist for many years) is 'healthy'. We should celebrate different body types, not by promoting obesity or anorexia.
If you disagree, let me ask you this: Would you promote smoking? A person may have a positive attitude to smoking but it doesn't mean smoking is healthy. I could have hashtags with #smokingispositive #positivesmoking #chickswithciggies. You get the message. You can be as positive as you want but if you have an underlying health issue, that may need to be addressed. It's harmful for young girls to see those images and think that it is ok and healthy to be overweight.
I don't think obese people should be ashamed of themselves. I do, however think it's harmful to label it as just another 'healthy body size'. In the same way that anorexics should not be portrayed as 'another body size'. Both of them are unhealthy and proven health risks.
We seem to forget that there is such a thing as 'quiet confidence' we don't have to plaster images of ourselves all over social media to prove how confident we are within ourselves. It is not the only test of self esteem and body confidence.
The amount of images you share of yourself on social media does not always equate to true body confidence. It can actually mean the opposite, that your insecurities need to be validated by strangers.
Quiet confidence is rare these days. How many instagrammers with 'perfect' bodies (with their ass hanging out) are clogging up the newsfeeds? who apparently spend 7 days a week in a bikini on the beach, posting the same images again and again.
Maybe I'm alone here, but even when I was at my fittest, I never felt the need to pose relentlessly on a beach for any purpose. You can be quietly confident with your body. It is possible.
Quiet confidence means that you are happy with what you've got but you don't feel the need to show it off every five minutes. You're not posting pictures everyday to gain likes, followers and attention. Is anyone else getting bored of the same images being showed hourly? Maybe I'm not the intended audience.
A person with a healthy self esteem doesn't mean they have a healthy body and the two should not be confused.
Positive body image should include shapes and sizes that fit within a healthy weight range. This will help send the right messages to young girls and women.
By all means, positive body image can advertise the fact that 'flaws' are subjective such as stretchmarks, cellulite and not fitting into a mold. I just don't believe that positively enforcing obesity is the right way to go about it, especially when obesity is such a huge cost on our healthcare system.
We want a happy and healthy society. Health being the priority.
Thanks for reading.
xx
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