There is a huge body positivity movement sweeping the nation and the world. It is taking over social media and influencing the younger generations every day. Starting in the 1990s, this movement was first started to empower people no matter their physical weight or size and challenge society's traditional standards for the body. It strived to accept all bodies regardless of physical ability, size, gender, race, or appearence. There is some truth to this, but especially in modern day, society has taken this idea way too far.
But, how can body positivity be a bad thing?
When looking past the self-confidence part of this movement, it is really encouraging and normalizing an unhealthy lifestyle. Many businesses, such as Nike, Calvin Klein, American Eagle Outfitters, and many more, have started to include a line of plus-size clothes to their company. These clothes are for bigger-sized customers, who have trouble finding clothes for them that fit most people. For Nike, a clothing brand advertising specific clothes used for excersize and fitness, this is a hypocritical theory. Year after year, society has started to normalize being overweight and this is the part of the "body positivity movement" that is unhealthy to society.
Yes, it is important for all people to be confident in themselves and their outward appearence, but it's another thing to openly accept being an unhealthy weight with wide open arms.
Being overweight, otherwise known as obesity, can lead to many serious health issues, like high blood pressure, high cholestral, diabetes, and inflammation. People who are overweight are at higher risk of many diseases and conditions, such as Fatty Liver Disease, Osteoarthritis, Gallstones, Gout, Hardened Arteries, Kidney Disease, Sleep Apnea, Pregnancy Issues, and Cancer. Not to mention, about 74% of people who came down with COVID were living with overweight or obesity!
Society has given us the message that overweight, or even underweight, is beautiful. Even though there are good intentions behind this movement, it is not without flaws. Nobody should look for beauty in someone's outward appearence, but rather focus on what's inside is in their heart. For how you act and treat people is much more important than how you look.
So yes, we should all love our bodies. They do so much for us every day. But just by providing the healthiest lifestyle for your body is loving it in the simplest way. <3
This is a hot topic that many students have been writing about. Perhaps promoting health and loving ourselves would be the best bet!
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ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you focused on the way people act and treat each other, and how it's more important than how you look.
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