A Guide to Body Positivity

 

During the time I have been in health I have learnt a lot about body positivity and I feel I have a good understanding of what body positivity is. Something huge I took away was that everyone is unique and the way our minds are set is also unique so I should always watch what I say about someone, especially what I say about someone’s appearance. I have learnt that everyone has a right to feel good about themselves and the way they look, no one has to or should be defined by the world around them. 

Something really important we looked at was how businesses don’t care about us, nor how we feel they just want to take our money which is why Jameela Jamil made an accusation that the Kardashian’s were “lining their pockets with blood and diarrhea.” This is because the Kardashian’s promote and sell products that say “eat this” but also say “starve yourself” when you look deeper. Most businesses in my opinion promote diet products and try to get people to buy them, in my opinion, these products lead to mental illnesses, etc. Social media, magazines, and advertising (which we see everywhere) play a big role in this in particular. Social media platforms are something most people all over the world use on a daily basis, but the thing about social media is everything we see/read can be fake/edited yet we fall for the lies. 

I think that it is really interesting how companies can make young people feel ashamed about their body, or unworthy because of the way companies promote their products and the influence famous people with a “perfect body” have on the world. It’s sad really to see that companies would devalue us young people and try to minimize our worth just to get money. One great thing that is happening now is that more famous people and educators are using their voices to promote body positivity and body neutrality which helps us feel better about ourselves and encourages us, young people, to feel safe and beautiful in our own body.

3 Tips I have to encourage those who don’t feel positive about themselves :

1: Unfollow anyone on social media who makes you question yourself, or just has a negative impact on you and others in general. Replace these people with accounts that promote positive body image. This will help by changing your intake and what you choose to allow into your mind each day.

2:  See a counselor, councillors are there for your well being and are open to talk to you but especially listen to how you feel. A counselor can play a big role in helping you see your worth and realizing that all bodies are beautiful. (You can find a counselor in your school, we have one here in the health centre).

3: Write down positive thoughts about yourself - and if you don’t have any write down things you're thankful that your body helps you do. (e.g I am thankful for my hands because without them I wouldn’t be able to write, work, or do much.) This could help us become more body neutral. This is because instead of focusing on our appearance we could focus on other things that are important.