Body Positive?
Over the last couple of years I have noticed how we're so much more aware of our bodies. And this isn't just the 'obesity crisis', but is related to and outside of the public health issue of obesity in developed nations. We've arguably always been extremely aware of our bodies, especially for specific identity groups, such as women (though, arguably all people to an extent). But this awareness to me, has changed and come out in two forms; awareness of our bodies in a frame of acceptance on one hand, and on the other awareness of our bodies in a frame of striving for perfection on the other.
As an example of each, there is the anti fat-shaming and body-positive movement, and then there is the clean eating and 'health goals' movement, both which are mostly enacted on social media. On the surface, neither of these two examples brings feelings of negativity in their names; 'We're loving ourselves for the shape we are!' Or, 'we're trying to be the best person we can be by eating well!' But of course, I wouldn't have dragged my ass to the computer to write a blog post waxing lyrical about how we're so much more aware of our bodies in a good way, and isn't it amazing.
No.
My points will be two: firstly, these concepts are deeply entrenched in individualist notions of the self, and pay no attention to why we're thinking about our bodies in these ways in the first place. Secondly, there's very little room for overlap between body positivity and the strive for bodily perfection in real life, despite neither actually having this opposition at their heart, I using myself as an example of how these movements divide and idealise leaving everyone still wanting.
Individualism right, we're such selfish creatures in 'western' cultures. But no, it's not being selfish, it's just a cultural structure and narrative. We ourselves as single people are conceptualised as a unit, and so we focus on bettering the unit, which is just ourselves. So we focus inwards, focus on ourselves in relation to the image on instagram, or the YouTube vlogger. Myself as an individual, and themselves as an individual, and how can my unit be like their unit so I can be better as a person? Without stopping to think hey, how is this a larger cultural phenomenon. How does this message impact others, how is it created, where are the links?
The dichotomy of body-positivity, and the strive for perfection is overt, but I would posit that neither has an antagonism towards the other at heart. They both come from a place of, in an idealised way, loving oneself and finding comfort in their own skin. But it's idealised, and attached to perfection. What is perfection? I know it doesn't exist, but doesn't mean I don't want it.
In my own personal experience with both body positivity movements, and fitness/clean eating movements, it's actually all very alienating. I fit what is considered the 'ideal normal' (as in, not actually the average, but what we conceptualise as the default): I'm white, comfortable economically, I exercise sometimes, eat alright, and am neither 'skinny' nor 'fat'. But I feel this increasing pressure, probably through consuming too much social media, to fit into either the body positivity group or the clean eating/fitness group. And I guess where my real gripes are, neither group as represented, actually represent me? And perhaps, they don't represent many people in reality.
Body positivity advocates to me are these extremely successful, curvy, tall girls. There's usually a lot of discussion about plus-sized clothing representation and fat shaming etc. As I said, I'm pretty average, and I'm not close to being plus-sized, so don't fit into the rhetoric of being an 'inbetweeny'.
So through body-posi movements, I should be aware of my normal privilege, of being comfortably straight sized and in the eyes of the medical profession of a healthy weight for my height, right? But I don't feel that way. At least, I feel my body type is not ideal. I am not as beautiful as those from the body-positive movement. I am outside that group, so I cannot be part of it.
But then I'm also definitely not of the ilk of the clean eaters/people who have an intense fitness regime and fit the beauty ideals of 'the media' (oh, the media, what are you really?) They are a healthy weight like myself (bar orthorexia) and so maybe I should try harder and put kale in my smoothies and go to the gym everyday and be my best? But they're so intimidating and I don't actually care for being so obsessed with my health and fitness, because it always ends up leading me to think about my weight, and how dare I have some flab, and how depressing it is that my body is naturally like that. That and I prefer to spend my time doing things I legitimately enjoy, like eating dumplings and playing taiko, not going to the gym daily and drinking kale smoothies all the time.
Basically, both movements to me are intimidating. Like most women, I have struggled with my body image basically since I was aware of it. I have been in moments of comfort and acceptance, and moments of frustration and awkwardness in regards to my body. And, I have at moments, been searching for a place to find solace and acceptance in my life that is intimately intertwined with social media. But that's it, its presentation. As real as they try to be, these platforms are presented on social media. There's a screen between me and them. A barrier.
I can never, and will never be like that, in the same way they as real people will never be their social media presentation. Because I don't exist on a screen, and neither do they. They probably deal with the same struggles that I do in relation to how they feel like they fit in, their body, what their life is.
As an example of each, there is the anti fat-shaming and body-positive movement, and then there is the clean eating and 'health goals' movement, both which are mostly enacted on social media. On the surface, neither of these two examples brings feelings of negativity in their names; 'We're loving ourselves for the shape we are!' Or, 'we're trying to be the best person we can be by eating well!' But of course, I wouldn't have dragged my ass to the computer to write a blog post waxing lyrical about how we're so much more aware of our bodies in a good way, and isn't it amazing.
No.
My points will be two: firstly, these concepts are deeply entrenched in individualist notions of the self, and pay no attention to why we're thinking about our bodies in these ways in the first place. Secondly, there's very little room for overlap between body positivity and the strive for bodily perfection in real life, despite neither actually having this opposition at their heart, I using myself as an example of how these movements divide and idealise leaving everyone still wanting.
Individualism right, we're such selfish creatures in 'western' cultures. But no, it's not being selfish, it's just a cultural structure and narrative. We ourselves as single people are conceptualised as a unit, and so we focus on bettering the unit, which is just ourselves. So we focus inwards, focus on ourselves in relation to the image on instagram, or the YouTube vlogger. Myself as an individual, and themselves as an individual, and how can my unit be like their unit so I can be better as a person? Without stopping to think hey, how is this a larger cultural phenomenon. How does this message impact others, how is it created, where are the links?
The dichotomy of body-positivity, and the strive for perfection is overt, but I would posit that neither has an antagonism towards the other at heart. They both come from a place of, in an idealised way, loving oneself and finding comfort in their own skin. But it's idealised, and attached to perfection. What is perfection? I know it doesn't exist, but doesn't mean I don't want it.
In my own personal experience with both body positivity movements, and fitness/clean eating movements, it's actually all very alienating. I fit what is considered the 'ideal normal' (as in, not actually the average, but what we conceptualise as the default): I'm white, comfortable economically, I exercise sometimes, eat alright, and am neither 'skinny' nor 'fat'. But I feel this increasing pressure, probably through consuming too much social media, to fit into either the body positivity group or the clean eating/fitness group. And I guess where my real gripes are, neither group as represented, actually represent me? And perhaps, they don't represent many people in reality.
Body positivity advocates to me are these extremely successful, curvy, tall girls. There's usually a lot of discussion about plus-sized clothing representation and fat shaming etc. As I said, I'm pretty average, and I'm not close to being plus-sized, so don't fit into the rhetoric of being an 'inbetweeny'.
So through body-posi movements, I should be aware of my normal privilege, of being comfortably straight sized and in the eyes of the medical profession of a healthy weight for my height, right? But I don't feel that way. At least, I feel my body type is not ideal. I am not as beautiful as those from the body-positive movement. I am outside that group, so I cannot be part of it.
But then I'm also definitely not of the ilk of the clean eaters/people who have an intense fitness regime and fit the beauty ideals of 'the media' (oh, the media, what are you really?) They are a healthy weight like myself (bar orthorexia) and so maybe I should try harder and put kale in my smoothies and go to the gym everyday and be my best? But they're so intimidating and I don't actually care for being so obsessed with my health and fitness, because it always ends up leading me to think about my weight, and how dare I have some flab, and how depressing it is that my body is naturally like that. That and I prefer to spend my time doing things I legitimately enjoy, like eating dumplings and playing taiko, not going to the gym daily and drinking kale smoothies all the time.
Basically, both movements to me are intimidating. Like most women, I have struggled with my body image basically since I was aware of it. I have been in moments of comfort and acceptance, and moments of frustration and awkwardness in regards to my body. And, I have at moments, been searching for a place to find solace and acceptance in my life that is intimately intertwined with social media. But that's it, its presentation. As real as they try to be, these platforms are presented on social media. There's a screen between me and them. A barrier.
I can never, and will never be like that, in the same way they as real people will never be their social media presentation. Because I don't exist on a screen, and neither do they. They probably deal with the same struggles that I do in relation to how they feel like they fit in, their body, what their life is.
Slowly I am beginning to resent and hate social media for the way it does this to us. It has sucked us in and messed with our minds, exacerbated the desire for identity through consumerism. I just don't want to have any part in it anymore.
#As a note, I found this half-draft tucked away at the bottom of my blog post lists from like... 5 years ago? I find it fascinating how my writing style has changed, basically moving away from very academic language to, well the descriptive yet sarcastic style. Also, I do think this conversation continues to be pertinent, but has morphed since the late 2010s
#As a note, I found this half-draft tucked away at the bottom of my blog post lists from like... 5 years ago? I find it fascinating how my writing style has changed, basically moving away from very academic language to, well the descriptive yet sarcastic style. Also, I do think this conversation continues to be pertinent, but has morphed since the late 2010s
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