U Mad? Me too.

There are so many "influencers" in the body positive community right now that are mad. I'm mad too, but I feel like a lot of the anger I'm seeing is misdirected.

 I am mad that when I search "body positive" on any given day, most of the news results are for companies or brands using our battle cry as a way to promote their products. I am mad at the media for not providing coverage of unapologetically fat bodies. I am mad at the media for choosing typically more palatable hourglass shaped women (if they're plus size or just smaller bodies in general) to represent ALL "bopo". I am mad at companies/brands that have hopped on the bopo train as the buzzword of 2017, but still choose to use models with one shape. That still choose to use only able bodied "beautiful" femme presenting women to represent ALL bodies. Celebs that say "bopo" then diet tea. I am mad that "fitspo" diet culture has bled into the bopo movement and health shaming seems to be more prevalent than ever. I am mad that there are new users on Instagram with "bopo" in their handles, but leave comments saying "bopo means loving ur body as long as it's HEALTHY." I am mad that the majority of society still doesn't get that health does not equal a specific size. I am mad that plus size men AND women are still extremely limited in their clothing options especially if you're low income. I am mad that our movement is being co-opted BY THE MEDIA AND COMPANIES to sell "self love" as a means to advertise clothes, food, gyms while us fatties are still being criticized for wearing clothes, eating, exercising, and existing.

 What I am not mad at is people of any size, shape loving their bodies. I am not mad at people in recovery celebrating their milestones. I am not mad at seeing progress photos of finding self love & how much happier you are. I am not mad at your side by side photos of bellies being squished. I am not even mad about your posting weight loss photos when it's part of your health journey. I am not mad at anyone celebrating themselves and their truth.

 I've spoken about before that some of these posts can be triggering for me as an "always fat", but I'm not mad at the poster of these photos. Being effected is not the same thing as being attacked.These posts effect or "trigger" me at times because of my own personal body positive journey. That does not mean I think the people posting these things are attacking me or my space.

 I am mad at the media for only choosing to cover these more palatable examples of body positivity (usually ED recovery or "fitspo" posts featured in the media show younger beautiful woman that are on the lower end of the scale/sizes). I feel like so much anger is being directed at the PEOPLE posting which is clouding our overall goal of supporting each other & promoting a safe space for EVERY BODY.

 Yes, it's frustrating when it seems like thin(ner) bodies are taking up more space, but I remind you: YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CURATE YOUR FEED. You can unfollow triggering accounts, surround yourself w/ inclusive pages. You have that power. If we're going to be mad, let's direct that anger in the best most productive way. I believe that to be at the media/brands. We need to demand more from them. Send emails, leave public comments, speak out when you see fucked up shit. Ask them why they're not featuring more diverse content. We can create change. There is NO excuse anymore. They know what we want. It's not a revolutionary idea to want to be seen. Demand more.

 I know it can be daunting thinking about reaching out to a large company, but it doesn't have to be. At the end of the day the people running these businesses are just people like us. Some people you reach out to may not respond, some may respond negatively - just like in real life. Don't worry about typing a whole letter, it can literally be a sentence or two. I'll put some of the ones I've sent before below:


So, I just have to ask - if you're complaining, are you also fighting for change? Because if you're not, then I don't need your negative energy in my feed. I challenge any of you reading this to critically look at the people you're following and if they are not a positive influence in your life, unfollow! That includes family members, celebrities, whoever! You're not obligated to follow anyone on social media! What do you guys think about all this? Drop a comment below or hit me up on Insta! I'd love to chat more about this.

Until Next Time,
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