How to be body positive

Over the last number of years, conversations around the body image have grown in popularity. Across social media, more people are sharing their journeys in learning to accept their bodies and feel more comfortable in their own skin. At the same time, social media filters, edited and AI generated images, and online beauty trends can make it harder to feel comfortable in your own body. Body image issues can affect people of all genders, ages, ethnicities, body types, and abilities.

Body positivity is something that many people aim to develop. But what does this actually mean, and how can we build a healthier relationship with our bodies?

What is body positivity?

Body positivity is a movement that encourages people to recognise that bodies naturally come in different shapes, sizes, and appearances, and that everyone deserves respect regardless of how they look. It challenges the idea that a person’s worth, health, or lifestyle can be judged based on their body size or weight.

At its core, body positivity is about developing a healthier body image, while also challenging discrimination and harmful attitudes based on appearance.

Accepting your body

Body positivity is about more than just your size – it is about accepting and embracing all of your features, your scars, your skin colour, and anything about your body that might make you feel different. It doesn’t mean you necessarily have to feel happy about these things all the time – it simply means you accept them as they are.

Caring for your body

The body positivity movement also encourages people to think about what their body needs rather than what they think it should look like. A lot of the time, people go on diets or start an exercise regime because they are trying to achieve their ‘ideal’ body type. Instead, the movement suggests it’s better to eat food that nourishes you and makes you feel good, and to exercise because it gives you energy and makes you feel better.

Problems within the body positivity movement

Although the body positivity movement has done a good job at highlighting our culture around dieting, fat shaming, and discrimination based on body and appearance, in recent years some people have become critical of the movement.

Some people feel it has become less inclusive, with larger body types, disabled people, trans people, and people of colour often being overlooked in favour of those who more closely fit traditional beauty standards. Others argue that brands and influencers sometimes use the language of body positivity to market products, which can undermine the movement’s original message of self-acceptance and supporting everyone to feel comfortable with who they are.

There is also growing discussion around the pressure to feel positive about your body all the time. For some people, constantly striving for positivity can feel exhausting or unrealistic. Because of this, some people prefer the idea of body neutrality where the focus is less on appearance and more on what the body allows them to do.

How to be body positive and build a healthier relationship with your body

Although there are some negative sides to the movement, taking the key messages – that we should accept and embrace ourselves and our bodies, and accept the way others look too – can be beneficial for many people.

In learning to be more body positive, try to remember to be accepting of other people who look different to you too.

Acknowledge that everyone is different

Although the images we see in the media or online show us people who generally look the same (and who seemingly have no ‘flaws’), in reality, everyone is different. People come in all shapes and sizes, with different backgrounds, different experiences, and a different way of seeing the world.

Recognising this can help challenge unrealistic expectations and create more acceptance for people whose bodies are rarely represented in mainstream media or in discussions around what is a healthy body. 

Accept yourself for who you are

This is not always easy to do. Issues around body image can be difficult to tackle, because we are often given messages around how we should look, what our ideal weight should be, and what we should do to achieve it. It can create a lot of pressure to look a certain way, and a lot of the time, what we are trying to achieve is actually impossible.

There are many things you can do to improve your body image, such as unfollowing social media accounts that make you feel bad, focusing on the things you like about yourself, and being more critical of the images we see in the media. It can also help to remember that many images online are often heavily edited, filtered, staged, or even AI-generated. Comparing yourself to unrealistic beauty standards can negatively affect self-esteem and body image.

Focus on what makes you feel good instead of how you look

Being body positive doesn’t mean choosing to live an unhealthy lifestyle – in fact, by truly accepting your body and deciding to care for it, you can introduce many healthy habits. When deciding what to eat, focus on food that is good for your body, gives you energy, and supplies you with all of the nutrients you need. Likewise, with exercise, find something that makes you feel good that you enjoy – if going to the gym isn’t for you, find a different form of exercise to do instead.

Let the motivation be about how you feel, not how you’ll look at the end.

Stand up for people who look different

Many people face judgement discrimination in their day to day lives because of their body size, disability, gender identity, or appearance. This could include comments from people in the street, bullying in school or work, or missing out on opportunities because they are being discriminated against for their bodies. If you are someone who has never experienced this type of discrimination, it’s important to support those who do. Supporting others can mean challenging harmful comments, listening to people’s experiences without dismissing them, and helping create environments where everyone feels respected and included.

Challenge negative thinking

When you live in a culture that constantly sends messages about the ideal body type, it can take time to change your thinking. If you find you are treating someone differently or making assumptions based on their body size or type, stop and ask yourself why. Is it because they don’t fit with what you believe is acceptable? Is it because they look different to you? No one should be judged based on how they look so if you notice yourself making assumptions about someone based on how they look, pause, reflect, and challenge where those ideas come from.

The same applies to how you speak to yourself. When negative thoughts about your body appear, try to respond with curiosity rather than criticism. Learning to treat yourself with compassion is an important step toward a healthier body image.

Feeling overwhelmed and want to talk to someone?

• Get anonymous support 24/7 with our text message support service
• Connect with a trained volunteer who will listen to you, and help you to move forward feeling better
• Whatsapp us now or free-text SPUNOUT to 50808 to begin.
• Find out more about our text message support service

If you are a customer of the 48 or An Post network or cannot get through using the ‘50808’ short code please text HELLO to 086 1800 280 (standard message rates may apply). Some smaller networks do not support short codes like ‘50808’.