You have likely heard the term "body positivity" floating around the news, media, and marketing campaigns. However, this term often gets misrepresented and misconstrued in these contexts. Therefore, the first thing I want to do is to explain how I personally define body positivity and what it is that I am referring to throughout the rest of this article.

Body positivity is all-inclusive. It is for everyone, regardless of their size, gender, race, sexuality, or anything else. It supports all bodies, including those of the disabled, transgender people and other members of the LGBT+ community, and people of color. It is not limited to fat people or thin people, and it is not limited to women. Body positivity does not shame anyone, for any reason, including trying to lose weight, exercising, or not doing those things. Body positivity is not commercialized or trying to make a profit. Body positivity does not require you to love your body 100% of the time, nor does it require you to never hate your body. Being body positive means accepting your body, in whatever state it is in, and learning to do what you think is best for your body. This is different for every single person, and that is completely okay. The body positivity movement simply strives to let everyone know that their body is perfectly okay the way it is, and no one can help tell them differently. It works to fight body shaming and to demolish modern beauty standards. The body positivity movement, at its core, is about accepting everyone for who they are.

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The body positivity movement is important in today's society because far too many people have an unhealthy view of their body. Coupled with the stigma around plus-size people and the discrimination that they face, this movement is absolutely essential to combat the toxic opinions people have about their physical appearance.

Personally, I have found the body positivity movement to be immensely helpful in my journey to health and self-acceptance. I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I have many memories of being made fun of for my weight in elementary school. I starting trying to lose weight through various methods around the age of 9. The older I got, the more I tried, usually failing or gaining back and weight that I lost. I consistently had the attitude that I wouldn't be happy until I lost weight. As a musical theatre performer, I felt even more pressure to be thinner. Being the biggest girl in my dance classes and having to stare at my body in a leotard and tights in the mirror for the whole class made me incredibly insecure. I looked at the actors that I saw onstage and onscreen and I feared that I would never be able to make it in this industry because of my size.

After all these years of obsessing over my weight, finally, I just started to give up on myself. I thought that I was not worth caring for. I thought that if I couldn't lose weight and look how I wanted, then why even put any effort into my appearance or my health? But then, I started to see bigger women who were body positive both online and in my day-to-day life, I began to start my journey to health and self-acceptance. I eat healthily and exercise because they make me feel good, not because they help me to look a certain way. I am able to look at myself in the mirror and in photos and like what I see, instead of criticizing every inch of myself. Of course, this is a journey, and I am still working on truly loving my body and finding the balance of a healthy lifestyle that makes me feel good. Of course, I still have days where I look in the mirror and I hate what I see. But I have made progress. I am on a journey. I am not there yet, and that's OK.

This is what I hope everyone can find through the body positivity movement. The journey to body acceptance is a long one, but it is worth it. I think if we all work a little harder to love ourselves, and others, we can make this world a better place.