To be honest our body shape or size is something we should all be proud of, It is something that tells you to embrace yourself and not feel ashamed of your body. It reminds you that beauty is not defined by one shape, size, or skin color.
There was a time in my life that I struggled to have a slimmer body, I used to love anyone who is slim and has a flat tummy, but I'm someone average in size not too slim and not too fat, but I'm always envious of small size people, I started the journey of weight loss, I started buying different types of medicine that would make me slim down, I started inconvenience myself just because I wanted a small size shape.
One evening I went to a program and I saw the lady who anchored the program was way fatter than me but she was so adorable, the way she dressed, her charisma, the way she carries her body melted my heart, that was when I believe in body positivity.
But then, can there be a time when body positivity will get toxic?
Yes, after I saw the lady that anchored the program I then stopped my usual morning exercise, I had to be comparing myself to her that thank God the lady is much more bigger than I am, I started eating the way I used to, go back to all the cookies I neglected but gradually I started noticing that to walk a mile is now a problem for me.
I knew I was not healthy, I could feel it in my body. Walking long distance tired me out quickly, climbing stairs became hard. Yet I kept telling myself, “I must accept my body, I should love it like this.” I was using body positivity to cover up what I didn’t want to face. That was not love, it was denial.
I realized that body positivity can make you feel like you must always act like you’re fine with everything about yourself. I did this a lot. I pretended I was confident even when I was not. I didn’t want people to see my insecurities, so I forced myself to smile and act bold. But inside, I still felt uncomfortable. That is not true positivity. That is pressure.
With time, I started learning that real body positivity is about balance. It is saying, “Yes, I love myself, but because I love myself, I want to take better care of me.” I started my exercise and get back to shape and stop comparing myself to others, I started doing what makes me comfort and not feel insecure about what people would say, I stopped lying to myself that I'm okay and not force myself to remain the same. Body positivity should not be an excuse to keep unhealthy habits.
I believe body positivity becomes toxic when it stops you from being honest with yourself. When it makes you ignore your health or look down on others for trying to improve. It should not box you in, it should set you free.
For me now, I see it differently. I still believe in body positivity, but I try to practice it in a real way. I accept myself, yes, but I also push myself to do better. I don’t see it as either you accept yourself or you change. You can do both.
This is my response to this episode of Hive Learners community prompt of #hl-w181e3 which the topic is tagged BODY POSITIVITY
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