Body positivity has become a powerful movement challenging unrealistic beauty standards and promoting self-acceptance. From one’s mental well-being to how one reacts to a comment, this term impacts one’s everyday life. Even though people are often judged based on their race, gender, colour, shape, sexuality and disability, one must ignore what others think of them and feel comfortable in their skin and the way they are. Thus, it becomes highly necessary to develop a mindset and accept every individual’s body type, shape, and colour.
Breaking the Barriers ft. Eram Faridi
Artist Eram Faridi exemplifies the movement’s goals. Her work is one such example of a society that celebrates diverse bodies and shuts down the narrow mindset portrayed by the media. Reflecting how we all deserve to feel comfortable in our skin, regardless of race, gender, size, or ability, she has always supported some or the other cause making it a part of the limelight and helping individuals realise their worth.
Young Voices for Change: Influencer Impact
Social media influencers like Ambika Arora champion body positivity. For them, it’s about loving your body at every stage of life and rejecting unrealistic expectations. Priya, another influencer, showcases her story of self-love and personal growth, using social media as an empowerment tool and helping others grow as well. Anjana Bapat, a dancer and enthusiast, supports and promotes the idea of a positive mindset through her beautiful dance reels and how they help her maintain calm, too.
Is Acceptance In The Society Easy?
There have always been parameters defining the “perfect” body type; thus, the pressure never fades. Ambika acknowledges that not everyone has embraced body positivity, and unrealistic ideals must also be tackled. Advertisements featuring flawless models contribute to this problem, fostering feelings of inadequacy. “I have spent major half of my teenage life and 20s thinking that it is impossible for any guy to like me because of my size even if someone told me that so and so person is interested in me. Like there is no chance and it is not possible.” Anjana Bapat, a dancer who promotes self-love via her fabulous dancing skills, also told her how her young days were disrupted by how society saw her. “I overcame it the way I overcame everything. Slowly building confidence, realising and acknowledging that I was enough and it stopped mattering whether men were interested or not. Thinking that I’m no longer in the dating pool was an insecurity which no longer is.”
Body Positivity and Mental Health
We all know that there is a connection between body image and mental health. Dr. Shobhika, a psychologist, explains how negative body image can lead to anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. Dr. Chirag, a nutritionist, highlights the link between body positivity and healthy eating habits. Embracing self-love can often lead to a positive relationship with food and better overall health.
Social media and traditional media are both culprits in raising unrealistic beauty standards. Dr. Shobhika tells us how the lack of diverse representation, particularly in portrayals of women, may affect one’s mental health and showcases that every person should be this perfect. This constant bombardment of “perfect” images negatively impacts people of all ages, especially teenagers and young adults.
In conclusion, people must be more aware of body positivity, diversity and inclusivity. The rise of the body-positive campaign has enabled more people to support more artists lacking in the “society perfect” areas of colour, shape, etc. The internet has given way to make others aware of not accepting skinny or fair as the only body standard. This also includes the acceptance of men and non-binary individuals and their fight for the perfect body image. It’s important to differentiate between body positivity and health. While self-acceptance is crucial, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also important.
Copyeditor: Gaiety Bhabya