I've been fat my whole life. Yes, fat. My stomach jiggles when I walk, my thighs rub together and no one ever believes me when I say I had a salad for lunch. When I was younger, this used to bother me. Not so much that fact that I was overweight, but the way people treated me because of it.
Throughout my personal history, it has been body positive affirmations that have kept me afloat. Being able to stand up against fatphobia and say proudly that my body is not yours to judge has been a pillar in building a healthy relationship between my mind and the body I felt so trapped in.
This state of mind was especially critical when I began grappling with my gender identity. It was the reason I began exploring my discomfort with my body in the first place.
While much of this movement resonated deeply in my little trans heart, some of it just didn't sit right. Yeah, I was seeing a variety of bodies, but still none of them looked like me. This absence was striking, upsetting.
The physical absence of trans people in body positive spaces, coupled with some of the language being used in the movement, shows a lack of intersectionality. Whether the absence preceded the language or vice versa is up to you to decide, but words have power.
What is blatantly clear is that some of the most popular phrases don't fit for the majority of trans people. In fact, they're exclusionary.
Phrases commonly associated with body positivity tend to have the same general message- your body is perfect the way it is and you should feel comfortable with the body you have. While that's a lovely sentiment, that doesn't ring true for many trans people.
The majority of trans-identifying people experience something called gender dysphoria, myself included. This essentially means that we experience notable amounts of stress and anxiety because certain parts of our bodies don't match the gender we identify with.
Some of us require hormones and surgery to truly feel at peace with ourselves - all of which are processes that can take years to complete or to have access too.
While it can be comforting and validating to embrace your body as is, I think it's important to recognize every kind of body - not just ones that fit the traditional gender binary.
As I stated before, I hold the firm belief that words have power. The weight of language is not one that can be carried lightly. That being said, changing some of the language we use in these discussions can have a big impact.
While it has ideals that I think almost anyone can stand proudly behind, it is painfully evident that the body positive movement centralizes around the experience of cisgender people.
If the trademark of a campaign is a deep pride in inclusivity, it shouldn't further marginalize others in the process. It shouldn't create an environment where people feel like they don't belong. This is what happens when language doesn't reflect the whole of reality.
The reality of it is that trans people need the body positive movement. We need the support. We need the love. We need to be included in these discussions.
There is a space for all of us here. It is time to start claiming it.
