By Kristen Donia —
The body positivity mentality and movement began to finally put an emphasis on the essential idea that we all deserve to feel comfortable in our bodies.
The Past
Our society has always championed one type of body – skinny. In recent years that has even narrowed to a more specific, not just skinny, but skinny & fit.
The Problem
This left out a large population of people who didn’t fit inside the tiny little box our culture created as “attractive.” Body positivity largely represents the notion that we all deserve to feel comfortable in our bodies and accepted for just that, a human with a body, and we all deserve respect.
Where We’re (Hopefully) Headed
You might remember that last month we discussed body neutrality, the concept that when we focus on what our body does each and every day and remove the physical labels, we are acting in a manner of doing what is best for our individual body, listening to its cues and creating an overall healthy mentality about our bodies.
What’s a Girl to do?
You may be asking yourself, what can I do today to encourage a more body inclusive, body positive, and body neutral outlook in my life? Smart question gal!
The difference starts with you. The way we speak to ourselves, the words we use to describe our bodies as well as others, the programs we watch, the causes we support, all these contribute to the way our culture views our bodies.
You may think, I’m just one person, what can I change? More than you think. You can begin to notice the not-so-subtle hints marketing companies send to make young women feel not good in their bodies. Afterall, their aim is to ‘help us’ feel better by selling a specific product, whether it’s make-up, clothes, skincare or something else. So first, their goal is to make us feel not good enough so that we need to ‘fix’ the situation with one of their products. Pretty genius, right?
Next Level
You can also talk to your friends about how you feel, truly. What comes up when you think about what you see on TikTok or Instagram, Netflix, or at Walgreens? Are there certain products, commercials, shows, or influencers that make you feel not good enough? What is it that is causing this feeling? What happens when you limit your time taking in this information? Do you begin to feel better? Check in with yourself, experiment with a day long social media detox and see how you feel. Are you more present in your life? Are you more focused? Do you feel better in your body?
Reflection
This constant check in, reflecting on the way we live our lives and why allows us to not only shift our mindset but these practices spread to our friends and all those around us and that energy keeps going and going. That can have a big effect on how we all consider the world around us, what we want, and what we support with our attention and with our hard earned money. This is how we begin to see change. Keep your head up and check in with yourself girl, we’re all in this together.
************************************************************************************************************
Kristen Donia is a freelance writer living in a tiny house she built in sunny Southern Oregon. She has a Bachelors Degree in Education and has dedicated her life to studying and writing about empathy, vulnerability and enriching the human experience.