The “body positive movement” started a couple years ago with the rise of social media, and it may seem silly to some. A loose definition of it would be a positive thoughts movement used to help anyone and everyone feel positive about their bodies; getting rid of what the media portrays as a ‘good body’ and saying that all bodies are good bodies.

You might ask yourself: what’s the need for something like this? Truly, there had to be something done to combat the idea of what is good and what isn’t good (which is all subjective anyway). The media portrays women and men a certain way, and it can be toxic to how people see themselves. Women are ‘supposed’ to have curves, be skinny, not have any scars or stretch marks. Men are supposed to have tons of muscles, be tall and strong.

These ideas of perfection have been around for a long time, and it’s simply unrealistic for everyone to fit into those categories. No one should have to adhere to what the media defines as perfect. If a person is striving to be the healthiest version of themselves, why should someone judge them simply because they do not fit these narrow, restrictive guidelines?

Being body positive can really change your whole life and outlook on it. Not feeling confident in the skin you’re in is something no one should have to deal with. Everyone should be able to be comfortable with themselves. That’s what this movement is trying to teach, and I really think it’s working.