© Photo: Stocksy/Evan Jenner Liberation of bodyWhat thoughts come to mind when you are asked how you feel about your body? Do you love your body? If the answer is no, you are not alone. We are surrounded by media images of thin (but curvier in the "right" places) and perfectly toned women.
For most of us, living up to these standards can be difficult, which can lead to low self-esteem. This is backed up by science, with studies showing that exposure to skinny models worsens body image and increases body dissatisfaction and anxiety. Food culture capitalizes on body dissatisfaction and tries to make us think we have to change to fit in.
What is food culture? Simply put, it is a set of systems that promote the belief that the appearance and shape of the body are the most important indicators of well-being. It promotes the idea that it is expected and desirable to make extreme efforts to control your body and diet.
Food culture demonizes some eating habits while glorifying others; It encourages greater vigilance about the types of food we put into our bodies. And the worst? Food culture is so insidious that we don't have to diet to fall prey to it. If you look closely, many people who think they are not on a diet are actually trying to be "healthy" by masquerading as a diet (such as rules about when you can eat, or labeling foods as " good" and "bad") . ).
I'm no stranger to the damage food culture can do. As an anti-diet nutritionist, I have worked with countless clients to heal their relationships with food and exercise. I have personally experienced the impact of food culture on my psyche and have struggled with eating disorders and exercise for most of my life.
How food culture perpetuates fatphobia
If you've grown up in a diet culture, it's easy to see how many of us have been indoctrinated with the “thin = good” message. But the food culture is not good. This leads to fatphobia and weight stigma: the systemic belief that fat people are somehow "less than" and must work harder to lose weight.
Before we go any further, an important note. In recent years there has been a movement to reclaim the term "fat" as a neutral description of height, and I will use that term in this article.
Sometimes fatphobia and weight stigma are visible, for example when someone gets angry at a fat person getting on public transport. But often, fatphobia is disguised as a concern about being fat ("If you just lost weight, you'd be much healthier") or as a compliment (for example, a saleswoman telling you she wants to see the dress you ' try again) is "flattering." ").
Food culture makes it clear that bodies that fall outside the accepted thin "norm" are unhealthy. This can lead to low self-esteem and a drastic attempt to change weight. I know from my own experience and I started my first diet when I was 13 years old.
Before I continue, it is important to say that I am weak. It is important that I share my story because while I have suffered from body dysmorphia, until recently I have not experienced fatphobia from my peer group or the medical system.
Growing up thin, I didn't have to worry about fitting into a chair or finding clothes that fit. But I grew up hating my body, and my relationship with diet and exercise was intense from a young age. I didn't realize it at the time, but the driving force behind my body hatred was the fatphobia instilled in me by the media at the time.
Food culture supports fatphobia, telling us that if we eat better and exercise more, we can control our body weight. This is an oversimplified view of weight management and does not address the many other factors that influence a person's body weight (such as access to whole foods, walking and systemic forms of discrimination such as racism, ableism, misogyny and queerphobia). .
Food culture supports fatphobia, telling us that if we eat better and exercise more, we can control our body weight. This is an oversimplified view of weight management and does not address the many other factors that influence a person's body weight (such as access to whole foods, walking and systemic forms of discrimination such as racism, ableism, misogyny and queerphobia). .
Positive body movement
Body positivity is a movement that seeks to undo the damage caused by food culture. Body positivity argues that all people deserve a positive body image, regardless of how society views their bodies in relation to thin "standards."
Body positivity emerged as a result of the fat acceptance movement in the late 1960s. The movement aims to put an end to fat shaming and height discrimination. However, the body positive movement in its current form only emerged in 2012. The movement focused on challenging unrealistic beauty standards and shifted the message to "all bodies are beautiful".
My body positivity journey began in my early 20s. At the time, I spent hours thinking about what to eat and exercising to "burn off" everything I hadn't thought about. I even started training for bodybuilding competitions, which I eventually gave up because I didn't think I looked good enough. Even though I was thinner, I hated everything about my body.
During this time I was active on Instagram and Twitter. In the summer of 2014, I started following happier positive accounts. I was satisfied. These women were so confident! I wanted the magic that found me. I gradually began to shift my focus away from extreme diets and exercise and try to find positive things in my body. I started eating intuitively and my starved body gained the weight it needed to recover from overeating and exercise. As a thin white woman, body positivity was a welcome place for me.
But is body positivity enough to counter the damage of food culture?
I argue that it is not. While body positivity is a step in the right direction, it doesn't address the underlying issue that how our bodies look determines our self-esteem. And unfortunately, what started as a movement with a valuable message has been co-opted by social media influencers and advertisers.
In its current form, the body positive movement is notorious for marginalizing people of color, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Just search for the hashtags #bodypositivity and #bopo. They're filled with thin, white, cisgender women bending over to do a belly roll with captions about how much they "love" and "accept" their buns. I was one of those women. I didn't really think about how this kind of news would affect fat people. Because such images, although well-intentioned, can give the impression that larger bodies are not welcome in a body-positive space. Despite what it seems, modern body positivity isn't for everyone, and that's a problem.
A journey to liberate the body
Body liberation, or fat liberation, is defined as "liberation from systems of social and political oppression that define some bodies as more valuable, healthy, and desirable than others." It is the belief that all bodies are worthy and deserve to exist as they are.
Body Liberation promotes the idea that one cannot know anything about another person's health or abilities just by looking at them. He also said that a person's height, health or ability is not a measure of his value as a person.
How many times have you heard the expression, "Well, you may be overweight, but at least you're healthy!" Although well-intentioned, this statement moralizes health, suggesting that a person deserves respect and care only when they are healthy and not acting healthy.
In addition to recognizing that you are more than your body, body liberation is intertwined. This includes dismantling systems that oppress people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women and people with disabilities. It brings together the voices of marginalized populations and aims to rebuild and reconstruct what health, wellness and liberation mean. Unlike body positivity, body liberation is available to everyone .
In addition to recognizing that you are more than your body, body liberation is intertwined. This includes dismantling systems that oppress people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women and people with disabilities. It brings together the voices of marginalized populations and aims to rebuild and reconstruct what health, wellness and liberation mean. Unlike body positivity, body liberation is available to everyone .
I first learned about body liberation when I experienced significant weight gain as a side effect of psychiatric medication. Within six months I doubled all my clothes and suddenly my body was no longer thin. My doctor started focusing on my weight at every appointment. Every time I saw him, he told me I needed to lose weight to be "healthy".
I was devastated. My chronic weight phobia was still a part of me and I wanted to turn to my diet to help control my weight. But no matter what I did, I kept gaining weight.
I finally had to accept the fact that I now inhabit a larger body. Suddenly, body positivity feels out of reach. The accounts I followed were women much shorter than me, and now that I'm taller I feel blocked from body positive space. I was trying to figure out what I liked about my body and was frustrated that I wasn't as fit as I used to be.
I knew something had to change. I started following fat positive Instagrammers and was introduced to the concept of body liberation. I was drawn to the idea that it didn't matter what my body looked like or what it could do physically: my body was valuable just the way it was. The idea that my body could be valuable no matter how much weight I gained or how much exercise I did was revolutionary to me, and I clung to it like a raft.
My journey to free my body was long and difficult. I'd be lying if I said I was the perfect example of a disembodied person. I still struggle with disordered thinking and I know I have an internal fat phobia that I need to work on. But I found that moving away from body positivity and focusing on body liberation allowed me to step away from food culture and reclaim the power of beauty standards.
Last thought
Although the body positive movement began as an inclusive movement, over time it whitewashed and excluded members of marginalized groups.
The best antidote to the damage caused by food culture is body liberation, the belief that one's size, health, or ability does not determine a person's worth. By shifting our focus from how our bodies look and function, we can begin to combat the food culture that tells us we need to lose weight or look a certain way to be in shape.
You are much more than a body. And you are worthy as you are.