We all get a little crazy about what (and who) we look like. Some of us went mad extreme and tried the Kylie Jenner lip challenge (it's okay, you were young and foolish then, we won't judge you), while others have watched at least 2109274 eyebrow-shaping, make-up contouring, butt-toning, fat-busting tutorials, all to reach some unattainable "perfection". We've all been there. Countless times
I’ve developed slight neuroses about my jelly belly |
or ‘ittie-bittie titties’. Sometimes, the judgement is just a second of self-doubt, but we bounce back to our hot selves in no time. But other times, the craziness can turn into a full-blown destructive obsession that feeds those little demons of insecurity – the ‘I should be more like them’ voices which we’ve been taught to listen to by commercial media, so that our feelings of inadequacy put money in someone else’s pocket..
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*cue all the pop music about self-love*…
The Body Positivity movement began as a stand against mainstream media and gross stereotypes, to encourage people to adopt kinder, more self-affirming perspectives of themselves (and others) so that they live a healthier, happier existence. It advocates that people of all shapes, sizes, ages, colours, and abilities deserve compassion and respect. |
While I think this whole movement is super beautiful and promotes more love and kindness (which is great, because, duh, all we need is love and kindness) the words ‘body positivity’ may sometimes be misused and mislabelled for all the wrong reasons… It’s uplifting seeing public figures promoting self-love and acceptance, especially because they have the platform, resources and the responsibility to set a positive example. But, when all those celebrities are white, thin, able-bodied, 20-something year-old, wealthy, cisgender, heterosexual women who are just trying to gain more popularity, the principles of the BoPo movement become blurred.
Body positivity is about more than just beauty. It’s about representation, equality and safety too. So, even though it’s lovely sharing a message that a person’s body is beautiful no matter what they look like, the real transformation for people who do not fit stereotypical ‘beauty norms’ is actually seeing a space for them to exist freely and safely, feel valued, and have the opportunity to live out their truth. Too often, people with "typically" beautiful bodies (by that I mean bodies that are generally represented and idolized in the media as the standard of beauty) hijack the movement, usually with good intentions of solidarity and a 'shared struggle', but inadvertently draw the light away from those whose bodies have been explicitly excluded and rejected from society - the very people the movement was designed to fight for. Image by : Joey Rosado @islandbiophotography |
Don't get me wrong, everybody has a role to play in the movement to promote inclusion and empathy in our society, but it is vital for all of us to make room for those who have been marginalized and sidelined by beauty standards and societal norms. This is where 'body positivity' goes beyond being about 'bodies', to being about actual human beings. This is where this acceptance and compassion we all claim to encourage, transcends concerns about aesthetic appreciation towards valuing human dignity. This is where the movement means more than body confidence and self-love, but self-worth and security for all people, because we are more than our bodies and we are worthy of acceptance, respect and dignity.
'In a society that profits from your self-doubt, loving yourself is a rebellious act.' - so point those pretty little middle fingers up to the system and share some soul-love! – A.
'In a society that profits from your self-doubt, loving yourself is a rebellious act.' - so point those pretty little middle fingers up to the system and share some soul-love! – A.
Guest Writer: Athena Lysandro
Content Editor and Layout: Kiara Danielle Pather
Image: Joey Rosado @islandboiphotography
Content Editor and Layout: Kiara Danielle Pather
Image: Joey Rosado @islandboiphotography