You may have noticed the growing body positivity movement on social media lately, spearheaded, usually, by people who don’t necessarily fit to the most ‘sought after’ beauty standard presented to us by magazines and runway models. This is because people are slowly starting to realize that those depictions are not only unattainable, most of the time, they’re not even healthy.
This means that no matter what your body looks like, you don’t have to punish yourself or think of yourself as any less worthwhile than others. Sure – the need to maintain health exists because as the Covid-19 pandemic has proven, the way we treat our own health will have an impact on those around us, too.
But in order to gauge a healthy and nuanced understanding of this topic, it’s important to ask the question, well, what are the grounding principles of body positivity in the first place? And can this new understanding help us make more informed decisions when it comes to managing our bodies and our perceptions of them? We believe so. Without further ado, let’s discuss those principles below:
Self-Care & Maintenance
Self-care and maintenance truly matter when it comes to body positivity. After all, platitudes feel good to say, but ultimately, there’s nothing more positive than caring for your body’s needs. After all, if body positivity doesn’t help you make your own good decisions, what is it good for? This might be as simple as visiting a local dentist, making sure you get the appropriate clinical checkups, to stretching each morning, working on your posture, and caring for your skin with soothing products.
Treating Your Body Well, But Being Realistic
It’s important to treat our bodies well, but to be realistic about doing so. It’s okay to have a treat now and again, to eat unhealthy food in moderation, and to indulge in certain nights out when you want to. Yet balancing that with good decisions, drinking enough water, and making sure that you stay committed is key. In other words – body positivity is about being positive about what our body needs, and not making ourselves feel ‘less-than’ for having differing needs.
Curating A Healthy Self-Image (Difference Counts!)
It’s good to curate a healthy self-image and especially so if you’re different to others. This is because it’s easy to dismiss yourself if you don’t fit ‘the standard,’ but seeing your own beauty is essential. For instance, it’s great to see models with vitiligo take centre stage – showing just how normal this condition is. A little extra fat is more than fine, as are stretch marks, moles, bumps, wrinkles, and a range of natural visual markers our body has. After all – are bodies are us. We are not separate. We shouldn’t view ourselves like a car to polish and make pristine. A life well lived should show up on your body, your main way of interacting with the world. Being appreciative of this, then, is the basis of good personal and mental health.
With this advice, we hope you can understand the grounding principles of body positivity for the better.
