It may be hard for us to accept our bodies, but we should try to do so anyway.
Current generations are inundated by feelings of dissatisfaction, shame, and hatred for their bodies.
Over time, beauty standards have changed and become different across cultures. Even movie stars and celebrities change their looks over time.
Do you ever wonder why that is?
We can’t help but notice how much we dislike our bodies. They’re not perfect—we know that. But what if they were? What if every flaw was an opportunity for improvement? That’d be pretty great! So let’ s start improving ourselves today. Let’ s make our bodies better.
However, this situation can be reversed if we take a positive approach to looking at ourselves with self-love and acceptance.
We discuss some important perspectives related to the body that we think can help our readers develop an improved understanding of themselves.
What Is the Definition of ‘Body Confidence’?
Self-confidence is an important part of body image. It helps us accept ourselves and others for who they really are. We can then live life fully, without fear, and be ourselves.
Being physically fit requires both physical and mental fitness.
Body Confident means having these key ideas in mind:
- Body confidence challenges the false beauty ideals of society.
- However, having healthy habits doesn’t mean you don’t care about your health.
- It helps us to develop self-respect and have a healthy relationship with our bodies, no matter their shape and size.
- We don’t just tolerate our appearances; we embrace them.
- It encourages us to focus not just on our weight, shape, and size but also on our health and well-being.
To better understand these two movements, let us take a closer look.
Body Positivity Movement: How It All Started
Body positivity was born out of the body shaming and weight discrimination movements of the 1960s. It promotes the idea that every body is beautiful and should be appreciated.
Body positivity was once again popularized in 2012 as a hashtag (#BodyPositivity) when people began using it to express their support for the movement. However, since then, body positivity has been reduced to a buzz word.
Body positivity has become more popular, and people are becoming more aware of their own bodies. But there is still a long ways to come for the body positivity movement.
Plus size fashion is becoming increasingly mainstream. It’s no longer just for plus size women, but for everyone. There are now plus size clothing stores, plus size models, and everything else all around it.
Body Neutrality Vs Body Positivity
Misconceptions and confusion regarding body positivity were then counteracted by the body neutral movement.
Body positivism asserts that all bodies are beautiful, whereas body neutrality states that we should be focused more on what our bodies can do for us rather then how they appear.
We shouldn’t let society dictate what our bodies should look like. Beauty comes from within, not outside. We should appreciate ourselves for who we are regardless of how we look. Even if we aren’t perfect, we should try to make the best out of what we have.
Body Neutral asks us to recognize that God has given us a perfectly functioning body. We shouldn’t put pressure on ourselves to look good. Instead, we should eat healthfully, think positively, and take care of our bodies.
Body Confidence and Mental Health
Body image is closely related to our mental health. We often focus on our physical appearances when thinking about body image but there’s an even deeper relationship between them.
For example, if we’re not sure about our appearances, seeing ourselves in the bathroom mirrors makes us feel bad. These negative feelings and thoughts affect our minds in significant ways.
We judge ourselves by comparing ourselves to others who we think look better than us.
Most young people suffer from low self-esteem and poor body image, but that isn’t true for everyone.
Social media, films, mags, and peer pressure play an important role in shaping the way we view ourselves. Photoshopped images of celebrities, click-bait articles, and flattering photos taken at the best angle become the standards of comparison for us.
Here are some key dangers of having an unhealthy attitude towards your appearance:
- Poor body image not only affects our self-esteem, but also causes us to develop serious mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
- Negative body image can also cause depression, anxiety, and isolation.
- If you’re having suicidal ideations, then don’t hesitate to seek help from someone who knows better than you
- Because of the low-body image negative mindset, it can affect our peer, friend, and relationship life. We start believing that we don’t deserve love, affection, or compliments.
How Can We Practice Body Confident?
There is no way to be confident in ourselves if we don’t learn to accept our own imperfections. We must understand that we can exercise, be healthy, and still not achieve a “perfect” body due to environmental and genetic factors.
You should strive for “neutrality” rather than “positivity.”
We shouldn’t judge ourselves by our appearances; instead, we should admire what our bodies can do for us. Therefore, we should learn to respect and love our bodies while treating them like our closest friend.
If your thoughts start talking negatively about your looks, ask yourself if you’d be saying the same things to someone you cared about.
We often forget to appreciate the beauty of our own body. Even if our close friends or family members criticize us, we should learn to feel thankful for our own body.
Set limits with those who make comments like these, and if needed, control the quantity of times we spend with them. Are they individuals you really wish to be part of your tribe?
Concluding
We should recognize that everyone has physical limitations and struggles with their bodies at different points in life. Everyone has health issues, but some people face them earlier than others.
