What Is Body Positivity?

Body positivity is the acknowledgment that your body does not need to be perfect to be valued by you. No matter the size, race, ability, gender, or appearance, all bodies are deserving of love and acceptance. It’s healthy to think positively about your body, and appreciate all that it’s able to do.

As a larger social movement, body positivity pushes back against the notion—often found promoted by advertising and social media—that the ideal body is skinny and white. However, being body positive doesn’t mean engaging in skinny-shaming behaviour either. Instead, it’s about accepting all different types of bodies, while also addresses problematic standards of beauty that stem from racist or ableist ideologies.

Body positivity isn’t conditional—the idea that your body has to alter or adapt in order to be worthy of love. Instead of saying, “I’ll be happy my body as soon as I’ve lost 10 pounds,” a more body positive way of thinking would be to say, “I want to work on my fitness goals, but I also love how strong my body is right now.”

Practicing body positivity can have emotional and health benefits, such as feeling more positively about your body while avoiding the risks associated with negative body image, such as eating disorders or depression. Practicing body positivity can also set an example for younger generations.

How can you practise body positivity?

Question whether negative self-talk is helpful. Think about the critical ways you think about your body, and ask: Would you make the same comments about a friend’s body? Would you allow someone else to talk to you that way? Probably not, so try to speak to yourself in the same way you would a loved one.

Interrupt negative thought patterns. For example, if you think, “I don’t like my legs,” try to three things you do like about your body. Interrupting your negative thoughts, and replacing them with positive ones will help shift the way you think about your body.

Allow yourself room to grow, and don’t be too hard on yourself. It can take time to change thought patterns. Don’t make the mistake of putting too much pressure on yourself to always be thinking positively.

Donate or alter clothes that don’t fit you. Don’t keep them around “for motivation” to lose weight. Keeping clothes in your closet that make you feel bad about your body isn’t helpful. If you lose weight, you can buy new clothes or go back for alterations if you want to save money.

When someone compliments you, accept it. Don’t point to other things you dislike about yourself. A simple, “Thank you!” is a great way to accept that there’s something about you that other people appreciate or admire.

Focus on taking care of yourself. Make sure you’re fuelling your body with healthy foods, practising active stress management, and getting enough sleep at night. Take care of your body, so it can take care of you!