What is body positivity ?
Body positivity has taken over social media in the last few years. The movement is based on the relationship we have with our bodies, encouraging us to achieve self-acceptance.
The drive took off in 1996 thanks to two American women. Elizabeth Scott, a psychotherapist, was contacted by Connie Sobczak, who was victim to an eating disorder at the time. In honour of her dead sister, Sobczak created the Body Positive movement along with Scott. The organisation encourages individuals to change the world, rather than feeling the need to change their bodies . The two founders continue to offer seminars and other group training sessions to this day.
Body positivity posts can be found all over Instagram, with hashtags alongside photos of people of all body types and morphologies.
Body positivity is first and foremost an ideology, rather than just a collection of photos. The movement helps those with self-image challenges to love their bodies. Getting started is really simple. Stand in front of a mirror and say out loud the things you notice most about your body. Most people mention their supposed flaws before anything positive.
A body positive attitude will help you see these “flaws” as qualities and therefore actually appreciate them. The idea is that you say what you like about yourself and show off your flaws, rather than hiding them. This helps us to feel beautiful and love ourselves. Which in turn allows us to overcome fears and break down taboos.
Check out the story of breast cancer survivor Ericka Hart for example. She became a body positive symbol by posing topless following breast reconstruction surgery. It turned out that prior to the surgery, she hadn’t been able to find a single photo of a black woman having undergone the same procedure.
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