What Body Positivity is Not
Body Positivity is not a license to eat unlimited ice cream.
There. We said it.
Body Positivity is about appreciating function over form, at least it should be.
It’s also about finding neutrality, peace and hopefully unicorn-like confidence with what you’ve got. This includes bodies of all shapes, sizes, genders, and abilities. Acceptance is a beautiful thing and we need more of it.
Yet, somewhere in the excitement of rebelling against the airbrushed ads and bullshit 500 calorie diets we started seeing some influencers in the BoPo community giving zero fucks about what they put in their body in the name of self-acceptance.
We are not here to be the food police but something’s not adding up.
If body positivity is about appreciating function over form, then ensuring your body’s function requires some care for what you put in it because food is information for your body.
To be clear, we 100% prioritize wellness over weight, which means that your weight is not the sum of your health or anything for that matter.
No matter your current weight, size, or how you look, there are long-term health consequences to consuming too much sugar and processed foods such as insulin resistance, diabetes and other inflammatory conditions that impact our hormones such as PCOS and thyroid disease. Other health consequences include being prone to yeast infections, eczema, migraines, IBS, and mood swings. Food matters.
YES, we absolutely believe in enjoying food for fun on occasion. I swear we’re still fun at parties and those who know us personally know we can get down on some food for pleasure.
However, not caring at all becomes just as self-destructive as caring too much.
Love your body for what it is and have some care for what you put inside of it because it matters.
Become More Body Positive With These Five Effective Strategies
Look for opportunities to think about how you feel, not how you look. When do you feel your best? What attributes to that?
Start a gratitude journal and list the ways you appreciate your body and how it functions.
Notice how you talk about your own body. If you start to criticize yourself stop and ask yourself if you’d say that to a friend. Say something nice instead.
How do you talk about other people’s bodies? Are you able to describe them based on internal attributes instead of their body? Can you say something positive about them?
Simple movements like walking and stretching can allow you to connect with your body and bring awareness to how you feel inside it.
