What Are the Ways to Promote Body Positivity Across the Globe?
Body positivity is not just a terminology, but rather a trend created over the last century to empower individuals with marginalized bodies. The use of this term as well as the movement regarding the concept of body positivity amongst individuals is primarily to seek or challenge the dominant societal norms regarding appearance, or ideals.
Every individual, irrespective of their looks or body type, is encouraged or motivated by accepting the body's positive movement. Thus, this term, which is widely used across the globe can help promote acceptance and appreciation of all human bodies, irrespective of their body image or appearance.
The ‘Body Positive Movement’ was first initiated or dawned in history by the ‘Fat Liberation Movement’ in the early 1960s. It was a movement then created by the National Association to encourage or motivate Americans who were more obese. This association is now known as the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), an organization that works to advocate or spread the word about the right to individuality, just like any other citizen around them, irrespective of body image or shape, especially for all plus-size people.
What Is the Aim of the Body Positivity Movement?
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The goals of the ‘Body Positivity Movement’ were primarily inspired by the work of NAAFA to explore individual thoughts about weight bias and put a stop to trends that create body shaming or promote fad (like or dislike) diet culture to lose weight.
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Furthermore, the key is to encourage individuals of all sizes and shapes to accept their body the way it is and to make self-love more of a mainstream concept, rather than criticize oneself or deprive oneself of orderly and mindful eating.
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Weight bias-prone individuals can express their negative behavior towards another person because of their body shape, image, or size. Not only socially and ethically, but the body shame that is associated with an individual's feelings about themselves or their bodily image, usually does not in any way likely promote either positive changes in the lifestyle or would harbor or comfort their feelings of low confidence and disappointment, anxiety, or stress about oneself. Hence,
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A society needs to prevent body shaming and promote body positivity and self-confidence or esteem regarding oneself.
How Can a Lack of Body Positivity Create a Negative Diet Culture?
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According to nutrition experts across the world, it is important to eat mindful and healthy that is best suited to a person’s body’s natural nutritional requirements and keeping up in tune with their metabolism. However, many individuals tend to confuse weight loss to be their final goal, and most of them further confuse weight loss to promote body image or shape individually as their final goal. The nutritional perspective; however does not encourage such trends of losing weight just to appear more fit, muscular, or thin. Therefore, these terms often give birth to weight-related stigma or bias toward those who are plus-sized.
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Nutrition experts always advocate that the key to sustaining health is consuming a satiating and nutrient-rich balanced diet along with healthy exercise regimens in the lifestyle, a proper sleep schedule, and a work schedule. These tips are always beneficial to combat the lifestyle diseases associated with obesity, which could be the leading risk factor for developing cardiovascular or systemic diseases.
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Also, though it is good to encourage a nutrient-rich diet or healthy weight loss diet, it is important to keep in mind not to hurt individuals’ feelings about their weight, promote weight loss as a trend, or even start diet-culture-negative trends that aim at a thin or ideal body type, shape or image.
How Can Weight Bias and Self Objectification Be Discouraged?
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In 2000, the ‘fatosphere,’ which was a primary blog-based collection of individuals who owned personal sites, provided one of the first social safe spaces that encouraged body positivity for the ‘Fat Acceptance Movement’ as it was called then. Later, across the world, these body positivity movements became more popular through the power of social media as well.
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Gender body positivity is even more important to keep in mind, in today's diet culture because women who are usually represented more through advertisements, media, or social media are usually objectified culturally. Hence, there is a need to refute such trends on social media that may promote body shaming. Self-objectification be it of men or women, is naturally one of the ways to weight-based bias or stigma, as it can encourage the individuals objectifying themselves to be overly critical of themselves.
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In 2016, several global surveys reported that the average woman follows a diet culture or trend, keeping in mind what type of clothes to wear. This is one of the global statistics that showcased how there is a need to refute fad diet culture, unhealthy weight loss trends, how best to promote mindful eating, and how to fight for a greater representation of body types.
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Also, indeed, one of the main barriers to body positivity is that of weight bias. Weight bias would be both external and internal. It is one of the most common and unacceptable trends across the world, with its roots in severe health consequences. Wondering how? The answer according to many global experts, is that an individual who tends to judge others by internal weight bias is more likely to promote or encourage feelings of body shame among the victims or the plus-sized individuals. When individuals afflicted by body shaming or who do not have a body-positive image of themselves start experimenting with dietary changes that can lead them to disordered eating, a vicious social circle of such eating plans, fad diets, or weight loss trends can easily pave the way for others to lose confidence in their body image is quite possible. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind for every citizen ethically that body shaming or encouraging weight-based stigma in others is a means that can indirectly promote the ‘thin’ body image ideal in many, irrespective of age and gender.
Conclusion
To conclude, individuals who eat healthily and look forward to healthy weight loss or gain can certainly consult with a healthcare professional, such as a dietician or a nutritionist, to meet their requirements. It is important to enhance a body-positive image of oneself to eliminate societal trends of weight stigma or weight bias.
In the last two decades, thus, body positivity has continued to evolve in popularity, from advertisement methods as well as retailers to social media platforms that encourage individuals into a ‘body-positive’ safe space.
Body positivity enhances individual self-confidence and breaks through all social barriers, such as gender-based self-objectification, weight loss, and disordered eating, that can be harmful both on an individual and social basis.
