less likely to be a target for how I looked .
Back then , I was doing things terribly wrong . I was letting other people ’ s opinions of me dictate what I felt about myself . This is something so many people do , even well into adulthood . Society plays a large part in that , always finding ways to somewhat exclude others that don ’ t necessarily fit the most popular beauty standards , and although we ’ ve come a long way we still have a lot more work left to do . There are still a lot of people out there that refuse to accept that beauty comes in all different shapes , sizes , and skin tones . This is the reason body positivity is so significant these days , as well as the reason body positivity is often misunderstood and / or criticized .
Breaking down body positivity
With such a large divide on the views regarding body positivity , it ’ s important to seperate what body positivity truly is as opposed to the misconceptions surrounding it . So what is body positivity ? To keep it super simple , it ’ s basically having a positive mindset regarding your physical appearance . It ’ s acceptance and affirming of your body , your temple and physical shell .
It ’ s feeling comfortable and saying / thinking nice things about the body you see when you look in the mirror .
What others often think
Body shamers usually assume that body positivity is something only women of the plus size community participate in . Many of them don ’ t even believe that body positivity is a “ real thing ”.
The truth is that a person
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Body positivity isn ’ t perfection , and perfection isn ’ t something we should expect from anyone anyway
” of any size can practice body positivity , and incorporate feeling good about their bodies into their lives as they see fit . It ’ s actually something that everyone should participate in . Whether you ’ re the fittest person or not , you still deserve to think positive thoughts and have a positive self concept . Body positivity isn ’ t some exclusive club only plus sized women can be a member of .
The assumption of perfection
People critical of the plus sized community tend to have this idea that a person cannot truly love themself and experience body positivity as a plus sized woman . It doesn ’ t seem possible for them . They are bothered by the thought that those who may be overweight can possibly feel good about themselves , especially when they still have extra weight they ’ re hanging onto . This thought process is highly influenced by society ’ s beauty standards relaying the message that the slimmer your body is , the more attractive you are . Because of this , a lot of people view the rise in body positivity a joke .
Body positivity isn ’ t perfection , and perfection isn ’ t something we should expect from anyone anyway . It shouldn ’ t be expected of anyone walking this earth . We all fall short of perfect , but it doesn ’ t mean that we can ’ t love ourselves , be encouraged , and think positively about ourselves anyway . You don ’ t have to be a finished product in order to love on yourself . We are all works in progress in some kind of way , and you should know that you are