How Positive Is Body Positivity? - Quality Of Life, Society

Where is the line between accepting your body and a pathological habit that leads to illness? Is it measurable in body mass index? The topic is being discussed by the experts of Our Psychology

Larisa Sitnikova

systemic family psychotherapist, researcher, lecturer

Initially, body positivism pursued only one goal. Good. It was aimed at ensuring that people who have external defects due to congenital or acquired imperfections do not have complexes and feel comfortable in society, and not like everyone else or “defective”.

Over time, the concepts were distorted and transformed. Followers of the direction began to justify not only congenital flaws, but also manifestations of untidiness, lack of grooming. A good example is fully tattooed bodies, balls and thorns under the skin, unkempt hair on the face and body, etc.

This is a rather useful philosophy and a new modern trend that allows very fat people, people with age spots on the face or facial asymmetries, to accept themselves as they are and not be ashamed

Moreover, the movement is gaining popularity on social networks, which inherently creates an auxiliary base and support for those who have long suffered from their own imperfections. After all, a lot of people are complex because of their figure or appearance.

The measure and the golden mean are important in everything. If you start to justify an elementary unwillingness to take care of yourself or strange actions aimed at "decorating" your own body, then this can hardly be called body positivism. Rather, an excuse for their extraordinary and dubious taste.

In my opinion, body positivism is justified when people have tried everything, and nothing has been changed either with medication or with the help of an operation. In such cases, it is very important to accept yourself, your appearance.

Boris Zubkov

Research Psychologist Mindware Lab, Fellow of the British Psychological Society

Having a positive attitude towards your body is, in principle, good, for many reasons.

But you can take just one: this is a defensive reaction to a contemptuous, arrogant or condescending attitude towards people who are overweight.

The most common explanations for a high body mass index are weakness of will, laziness and the result of poor nutrition. Meanwhile, the main reasons, judging by the research results, are genetics and socioeconomic status, and especially their combination.

This couple influences the likelihood of overweight and obesity, and the socioeconomic status itself, when manifested in the form of poverty, determines diet and physical activity, and the level of stress, and the quality of medical care and a positive outlook on the future. And if a person in such conditions begins to hate his own body, then what will he have left?

“This is me, and I love myself the way I am,” to say that, too, requires courage after years of struggling with constant defeat and despair.

Our society, for no particular reason, is rather cruel to people, so look at body positivism in a kind way.

If someone is allegedly so worried about the diseases associated with obesity, in people who have ceased to hate themselves for it, let him help them with a better job, education, medicine, or shut up

Irina Solovieva

psychologist, specialist in art therapy, body-oriented psychotherapy, psychosynthesis, work with addictive behavior

The word "positivism" sounds pleasant, optimistic and somehow … yes, positive. Acceptance of your body is a problem that is relevant for many, regardless of objective external data and state of health. This is part of self-esteem, self-perception, and distortions can be laid in early childhood.

If the child was not loved, rejected, criticized his appearance, "clumsiness", little hugged, then this can lay the rejection of oneself and auto-aggression. This alienates the child from himself. And then it is important to regain yourself, to form self-acceptance. Self-love and acceptance of your body are essential for life satisfaction.

The relationship with your body, the acceptance of it is called in psychoanalysis "autosexuality"; it is an important branch of libido, and if blocked and distorted, the overall quality of life suffers. Simply put, without loving your body, it is impossible to enjoy life to the fullest.

What's important here? True love is not blind. By loving, one can see the flaws of a partner, and still maintain love. Loving your body in this way, it is important to see objective reality. For example, you can accept your body and at the same time understand that there is excess weight and it is harmful to health, it is better to bring it back to normal

Maintaining contact with reality, knowing your bodily capabilities and limitations is an important part of psychological health. For example, an amateur body ballet can be practiced at any age and with a wide variety of physical characteristics, but not everyone can become a professional ballet dancer and not at any time in life.

It is necessary to maintain social adaptation, remember about respect for other people. For example, you can accept your body, but you must understand that there are rules of hygiene. And if an unpleasant smell comes from a person, it is unlikely that people will want close contact, even if the person himself is pleasant to all his smells. Moreover, neglect of hygiene rules can be hazardous to health, oneself and those around.

To sum up, body positivism is an important trend. Allows you to understand and accept your body. But it is important not to go to extremes and not go to the point of absurdity.

Reality contact and social adaptability are important components of mental and psychological health.

Daria Suchilina

practicing and writing psychologist, psychotherapist, mindfulness trainer, translator, member of the Association for Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy (ACP), the Society for Human-Centered Approach (HCP) and the Association for the Development of a Culture of Mindfulness (ARCO)

There are so many contradictions in the advice about a healthy lifestyle! Foods that are good for muscles but bad for the liver. Workouts that strengthen the heart but destroy the joints. Trainings that help you lose weight, but exhaust us with constant anxiety about our appearance and meeting the expectations of society. How to figure it out?

Body positive is also not a panacea. Advertising with "plus size" photo models is a demonstration of the skill of a photo editor, and not a reflection of reality in which the skin is covered with stretch marks, and cellulite does not go away from either massages or creams. Therefore, such an important role is now played by movements aimed at demonstrating the real body, without embellishment and secrecy.

The more we come across pictures of different people with different appearances, the less we are governed by a template that serves as a source of inconsolable self-criticism and potential eating disorders

Many are afraid, however, that if you accept yourself "too strongly", you can "run" your body, completely relax and drive yourself into the abyss of permissiveness. To prevent this from happening, we learn to build relationships with our bodies in a new way and hear everything that is happening to us right now. And then the body will tell you exactly when it is time to stop and pull yourself together in order to come to a long, healthy and fulfilling life in the long term.