The conversation surrounding what society teaches young women - and men - is beautiful has gained traction, especially being in the middle of the biggest month in fashion.
The war against negative body image has been going on for several decades now and affects both men and women. Every day we are flooded with images of an idealized standard of beauty on magazines, our television screens, and movies. In recent years there has been a rise in eating disorders and plastic surgery because people are striving to attain the unattainable.
Even the men and women we see on magazine covers and the big screen are touched up and deal with negative body image. Many images we see - including those on social media - are edited and/or judged by based on expectations. Nobody and no body is safe from the ridicule. People are shamed for being too large or too small, too tall and too short, too dark and too light, and more.
So how do we fight back?
By being body positive and making sure everybody and every body is wonderfully accepted and appreciated.
But first, what is body positivity?
Body image and body positivity are related, but not the same thing. Body image is a person's idea of themselves which can be positive or negative. Body positivity is an initiative to have a positive body image. Body positivity is simply loving your body flaws and all. By accepting that you do not and will not look like everyone's idea of beautiful you are accepting yourself for who you are - leading you to love and appreciate your body.
Social media is a lot of things, and not all of them great. But it is also a great platform for sharing messages and promoting different causes. Hashtags like #iamallwomen, #ihaveembraced, #embrace, #fatkini, #loveyourlines, and #mermaidthighs and many more have all gone viral and women are sharing their love for their bodies. Most importantly they let women around the world have been given the opportunity to stand up for change by challenging the beauty norms of our society.
These hashtags are also propelling body positivity and initiatives like the Body Image Movement and the Body Positivity Movement; founded in 1996, on an outlet that can reach millions.
While we are told that beauty has only one face, we need to remember that being body positive means all bodies are beautiful. By
You may not agree with everyone's version of body positivity, but the point is that we are all different. We are diverse in our sizes, shapes, abilities, colors, and more and that is what makes us human. And it is time to start celebrating that.
