One of the toughest things about being in the body positivity, fat acceptance, health at every size, space is that most (not all) people in this space have very strong opinions about the fact you cannot be a part of this space if you want to lose weight or do lose weight.
Trust me, I've seen the rude ass comments on social media when someone in the space talks about weight loss. Some are even told they don't belong in the space anymore (shaking my damn head at this one).
Well, I have a very strong opinion about this! So, I chat about this elephant in the room in this video:
And you can also read my strong belief about this, in my post Why a Mild Heart Attack Made Me Rethink Body Positivity.
The Body Positive Community Isn't A Fan Of Those Who Lose Weight
For me and body positivity, part of it is the belief that we all know our bodies the best and we all know what our bodies need. And for some that might mean losing weight! For example, I have a friend who has a very large social media following, in the body positivity space, who lost weight in order to be able to go off her blood pressure medicine and it even took her out of the pre-diabetic stage.
Never ONCE did she do this because she didn't like her body or believe she wasn't beautiful at a bigger size – she loved herself at both sizes. She did it because she felt like shit and her body was telling her she needed to make changes so she did. But people came at her left and right about how wrong it was to lose weight and she was playing into all the diet culture bullshit and it's because of people like her that give body positivity, fat acceptance, a bad name.
And good grief, don't even get me started on all the Adele hating that's been going on because of the weight she lost. And now, according to many, she's part of the problem too.
What!? Like seriously, what the actual F***?
No, it's people like that I respect even more because they are going against the ‘norm' of what other activists in the space are saying (you can't lose weight).
Is It Ok To Want To Be Thinner & Body Positive?
When I came across this article – Fighting Fat Discrimination, but Still Wanting to Lose Weight – Is it OK to be “body positive” while striving to be thinner? – I freaking devoured it and then went back and re-read it again!
There are lots of little gems scattered throughout it! One of my favorite…
But the tension among fat-shamers and fat-accepters can be wrenching for the swath of people who are overweight and trying to figure out whether they need to strive for self-acceptance or start another diet.
“I kind of feel stuck between people bashing me for having obesity and telling me I should lose weight, and the other half that says you should love yourself and that means you shouldn’t lose weight,” said Sarah Bramblette, 42, of Miami. “I’m bad for wanting to lose weight, and I’m bad for not losing weight.”
Those last couple sentences – YES! OMG Yes! I feel her. I feel her 100% because it's so true.
Be sure to head on over and read the entire article here: Fighting Fat Discrimination, but Still Wanting to Lose Weight – Is it OK to be “body positive” while striving to be thinner
Embracing Body Positivity 5-Part Series
If you're looking for some more body positive content, I invite you to check out this 5-part series:
- Day 1: Body Positivity is For Everyone
- Day 2: Who Told You To Hide?
- Day 3: Learning to Love Yourself
- Day 4: Celebrating Your Amazing Body
- Day 5: Are You Embracing Body Positivity?
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