The Controversy of Body Posivity

Body positivity has made great headway within the Gen Z and Millennial generations. However, while body positivity has become a major trend on social media platforms, there is some indecision about what body positivity pertains to. While there are some who believe that body positivity covers the bases of accepting all bodies as they come, with whatever shape or form they take, hypocrisy can be found with what society is willing to accept. 

Body positivity online can be seen as a welcoming hashtag but the comments that hide from unknowing eyes, reveal a darker truth. The “haters” love to troll posts that promote body positivity, despite the strong promotion of self-love and inclusivity. Despite the many attempts to have society open up to more body types and forms, society does seem to have a narrow view on what is acceptable and what is not seen as online welcome. 

For example, there seems to be a “fatphobia” as well as a racist preference on what posts are more likely to be liked. Photos that are filtered, with those who weigh less than a certain amount, or look a certain way that is seen as trendy or popular, then the photos are more likely to be ignored or discriminated against than any others. 

Body positivity is defined as “a movement focused on the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities, while challenging present-day beauty standards as an undesirable social construct.” The idea is one that promotes self-love and acceptance of all, no matter how they appear on the outside. It erases the need to distort and form beauty based on the opinions of others. However, the journey to get there is still a work in process and the need to grow inclusivity is still in high demand.