The idea is simple - love yourself and your body, whatever it is. The body positivity trend rejects the norms of beauty prescribed by the fashion industry and because of which many girls have suffered. But some critics say the matter has gone too far, so much so that the risks of obesity are being ignored
Over the past ten years, young people have slowly turned their backs on rigorous beauty standards and the ideal of a flawless body and perfect skin.
The trend began in the United States, when boutique windows began to be decorated with different dolls, of different sizes, body shapes and colors, which are a far more faithful representation of the human figure.
The company Mattel also influenced the change in 2016 with its new line of barbies, which for the first time included dolls with several different body shapes and seven skin tones.
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The whole body positivity movement was born from the trend (body positivity) that promotes a positive view of all bodies, regardless of body weight, skin color, gender and physical abilities.
Proponents of this movement focus on the health and functionality of the human body, instead of meeting stereotyped standards of beauty.
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Self-love as an act of resistance and struggle
Activist Dejana Stošić believes that it is necessary to talk about the phenomenon of body positivity as an act of accepting new and different standards of beauty.
"Our bodies change as we change." Cellulite, stretch marks and scars are a part of us, especially if we are talking about women who are mothers, who have created one life. Beauty standards change and depend on society, culture, fashion and time," says Stošić.
She explains that, despite the constant changes in the standards set by the fashion industry, it is necessary to love your body and yourself at all times.
"To love ourselves exactly as we are is an act of rebellion and resistance," emphasizes Stošić.
Psychologist and professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Ivana Jakšić, cites frustration with the fact that the dominant standards of beauty excluded a large part of the population during the past decades as the reason for the emergence of the body positivity movement.
"The inability to match the image of ourselves with the one that is socially desirable leads to dissatisfaction with ourselves and to negative outcomes in the field of mental health, among which are social anxiety and eating disorders," says Jakšić.
"Young people, girls and women, are especially vulnerable, since they are just in the process of building their identity, during which they are more susceptible to the influence of social norms," she states.
She adds that including people of different looks in fashion shows, advertising campaigns and other widely visible content sends the message that all bodies are acceptable and valuable.
"Such attempts certainly benefit the mental health of persons who deviate from the previously described norms." It is about the principle of representation that we need in all spheres of social life," says Jakšić.
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The toxic side of positivity
Jakšić warns that the public is still skeptical when it comes to body positivity and that there is still a lack of understanding of this term, and thus there is a lack of empathy and understanding for people who are physically different, especially for obese people.
"Body positivity is sometimes interpreted as promoting obesity." It is not clear to the public that obesity is often a consequence of mental health and that in order to deal with these problems, self-acceptance and building a positive self-image is necessary," explains Jakšić.
Critics of this movement express concern that there is a promotion of "toxic positivity", that is, the expectation that we must always be positive regardless of everything, including the harmful effects of obesity on health.
"I think so." body positivity a good thing, but also that this term no longer exists in its initial form," nutritionist Aleksandar Matić told Vreme.
"This movement is designed to promote diversity and self-acceptance. This means not only accepting different body sizes, but also different deformities, burns and similar specificities. However, over time, there has been a great misuse of the term and the narrative that people of any body weight are healthy," he explains.
One should, he says, be aware of the potential health risks that obesity carries - greater stress on the joints, greater risk of cardiovascular diseases, elevated cholesterol, and even certain forms of cancer.
"You should love your body and accept it completely, but if we love our body, then we need to want the best for our health and be aware of certain risks," concludes Matić.
According to the latest data, half of the people in Serbia are overweight, and a fifth are considered obese.
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Exclusive inclusiveness
Another group of critics points out that, although advocates of body positivity officially advocate for as much inclusivity as possible, there is a paradox in which the movement itself has become exclusive.
They state that the movement continues to exclude certain marginalized groups and that the majority of social media posts feature "conventionally attractive white women."
One analysis that looked at posts on the social network Instagram shows that two-thirds of these posts feature white women, while ethnic minority men and women are still underrepresented.
As a potential answer to the paradoxes that body positivity entails, a less radical notion of body neutrality came into use (body neutrality).
The key message of body neutrality is that it is necessary to shift the focus from physical characteristics to the inner state of individuals, which should not necessarily be associated with appearance.
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