The body positive breakdown: what is this movement anyway?

Body positivity is a term most of us have heard, but not all of us have had the chance to get. Here, we explore what it truly is, what it means for the way you dress and why it might just save your life

In 2019, the term ‘body positivity’ has been thrown around a lot. From breakfast shows, to advertising campaigns, to social media posts, its presence in our lives has been felt more than ever.

But what does the term truly mean? And how can we begin to understand it in a way that applies to our own lives?

Body positivity is defined by Wikipedia as “a social movement rooted in the belief that all human beings should have a positive body image. In doing so it challenges the ways in which society presents and views the physical body. The movement advocates the acceptance of all bodies no matter the form, size, or appearance.”

In its most basic sense, it encourages the everyday person to unlearn the teachings of a bias society, and begin to love their body for all it can do above the way it looks – eventually learning to love it for its appearance also. It challenges us to challenge the culture of dieting we’ve been indoctrinated in, and the way the ideal body is sold to us as the ultimate commodity.

According to research by Dove, only 4% of women globally feel as though they are beautiful, while 72% of them say they feel under tremendous amounts of pressure to be beautiful. If ever there was a time to be openly discussing our body image, it seems to be now.

Body positivity thrives on social media, and the entire movement has found a comfortable home there. With more than 500 hashtags currently in use, spanning the topics of #self-love, #self-acceptance and #stomachrolls amongst others, it’s something that many people engage with daily.

One person who supports this idea is Deanna Riley, fashion communications student, stylist and body confidence advocate. She defines body positivity as “a social movement which allows people to feel good about their bodies without feeling shame.”

Riley believes that body positivity includes us all: “A plus size woman, a man, a petite consumer and all different races should also come into play when discussing body positivity. After all, it does just stand for a person viewing their body positively, rather than hating themselves due to not being accepted in society.”

Taking this a step further is Caroline Bresnahan, body positive activist and the owner of a highly successful, self-proclaimed ‘fat fashion feed’ at @justmeandmymirror. For her, part of body positivity is also the fat positivity movement, which harbours a community that “is fighting stereotypes, demanding more visibility and accessibility, and reminding people that fat bodies are none of their fucking business.”

For Bresnahan, growing up in a body marginalised for its size was excruciatingly hard. “As I grew up I learned that everything about me was considered a bit too much: my body, my personality, my volume, and so you learn to tone it down.” This is all too familiar a journey for many of us, having been raised on stereotypical ideals of womanhood – to be slim, to take up no space, to speak only when spoken to and to value our looks above all else.

“At 8-years-old I was inducted into diet culture. I went to a health program for obese kids. Then personal training, then a nutritionist, then a food psychologist, then Jenny Craig, then Weight Watchers, then MyFitnessPal, then Runkeeper, and then and then and then”, she professes.

“I stayed fat through it all.”

It wasn’t until starting her Instagram a few years ago, and finding a whole host of body positive people already existing – visibly and happily – that Bresnahan began to think about life differently. Their photos, their simple phrases such as ‘you’re not alive to pay bills and lose weight’ and their confidence all “acted as epiphanies.” Encouraged to post more of herself, the activist became engaged in the community more so than ever before, and everything inside it “was screaming it’s okay to be fat – and it’s not just okay, it’s awesome.”

For her, finding body positivity has “changed the way I eat, the way I move and the way I live my everyday life. Seeing other beautiful bodies bigger than mine, smaller than mine, of different colours and abilities has absolutely changed the way I look at my own soft, fat, rolly, stretchy, freckled body.”

A woman having followed a similar path is stylist, self-love advocate, and host of Channel 4’s Naked Beach, LaLa Love. After finding the body positive movement online, Love was encouraged to embrace her size 18 body in new ways. To her, “it’s one of those movements that are very important at this time, because – well, it’s about time.”

“There’s a lot of people that have real issues with how they view themselves and their bodies”, she states, “and so it’s very necessary that we have people in the media, and these influencers, there to help break the systematic ignorance of how we should look at ourselves.”

Having these activists and advocates out there, celebrating the skin they’re in, creates a knock-on effect – one that encourages us to not only accept our bodies exactly as they are, but to dress exactly how we wish too.

Having always adored fashion, going so far as to call it her “first love”, Love found the movement invited her to engage with it in new ways. “It’s a form of expression, an outfit can communicate for you and it’s something that’s always said a lot for me”, she confides, but being a part of the movement “gives me a sense of confidence to go on and wear anything. I know I’m not going to get judged as much because so many other people are doing it as well.”

This adoration of fashion played a major influence on Riley’s journey with body image also. The first thing she thinks about every day is her style: “I wake up and I think about what I’m going to wear, and if I’m wearing something that I enjoy I find it helps life my mood overall.”

But it hasn’t always been this way. Prior to find body positivity, she “thought wearing patterns and colours would make me stand out more, which I was desperately avoiding.” Now, however, she dresses entirely for herself and thanks the social media side of the movement for that. “Even though social media can often be construed as having a negative impact on girls, it’s actually improved a lot of plus size women’s confidence. Talking about the issues surrounding being fat helps not only yourself but creates a discussion which helps you to learn you’re not the only one battling with the same problems.”

She believes “people are going to stare regardless of what I wear, I may as well be stared at and wear what I want rather than covering up.”

Bresnahan shares this approach to fashion: “The fat fashion community is constantly reminding me how fucking cute we are and that trendy clothes can look perfect on our fat bodies.” Pushing herself outside her comfort zone to become a part of the body positive community has played a great part in growing her self-confidence. “I know that seeing badass fat girls on Instagram affected my confidence so dramatically and that makes me want to be that for someone else”, she confides, sharing that “at some point, I even became that for myself.”

But being so involved in the community can come with one drawback – feeling as though you should love yourself every second, of every hour, of every day. If you can’t, then are you a fraud?

“I want to say my relationship with my body is always good, but that’s not the case”, says the influencer: “I have days when I wish for what society wishes for me. Sometimes I wish I had a flat stomach and stick legs and arms that don't waggle.”But since learning of body positivity, self-love and fat positivity, she finds these days come much less frequently. “More and more, I find myself loving what I see in the mirror”, she says proudly – and this learning curve is all part of the journey.

No amount of bad days can take away your progress, so why not give it a try?

So, where do I start with body positivity?

Holly Marston, self-love advocate and plus-size fashion ambassador, believes she knows where to start. Her best advice for gaining the confidence to take a chance on the movement is to stop caring so much about what other people think: “unfollow all the unattainable Instagram accounts you compare yourself to, think of yourself instead of worrying about others’ opinions and realise that confidence will be your best quality.”

As for Love, her best advice could be considered ground-breaking for some: “That would probably always be getting to know your body.”

“Everyone’s bodies are different, of course, and people spend a lot of time hiding away or avoiding looking at themselves in the mirror, especially naked”, she states. “They avoid it because they don’t want to see themselves, they don’t even want to look down. And I think the easiest way to accept what you have – and not just accept it, but to appreciate it, adore it and give it the love that it deserves – is by looking at yourself without clothes on.”

Now, it’s your choice – you can continue to live in fear of your body, or you could try your hardest to question why it is you’re so scared of its so called ‘flaws’ in the first place.

Which will it be?