As social media’s popularity rose through the decade of the 2010s, a movement that promoted acceptance and pride of all body types brought back the normalization of bodies that were not just thin. Today, the body positivity movement is becoming less and less prominent in the media.
Body positivity must continue
It is no secret that women's bodies have been a trend that goes in and out of style for generations. Women have been forced to keep up with these “trends” that are different body types, a standard which is unrealistic and impossible to attain.
The body positivity movement has existed since the 1960s, created as a way to combat the harsh criticism women’s bodies have faced.
According to an the BBC, the movement began with “fat activism,” which sought to encourage self-acceptance in bodies which were not currently uplifted. The movement has always been rooted in feminism, as it aligns with feminist values of nonconformity when it comes to expectations on women.
Many activist groups were created upon the emergence of the 1960s body positivity movement, some hitting the streets with protests, and others creating manifestos to spread the message.
The movement has had highs and lows since becoming popularized, especially since the creation of the internet and social media.
As social media platforms have progressed to become ways for people to interact with one another, apps like Instagram and Facebook have both spotlighted the movement and created obstacles to it.
“The body positivity movement is believed to have surfaced on Instagram in 2012, aiming to confront the unrealistic expectations and unrepresentative portrayals of women in media and advertising,” the National Library of Medicine said.
During the 2010s, a push for self-acceptance and normalizing all different types of bodies created an internet culture of inclusivity that spread outside the internet.
Plus size models became more mainstream, being cast by big-name brands and designers, and the glamorization of “thinness” from previous decades was overshadowed by a desire for curves.
The internet was a huge step forward for the body positivity movement during this era, but like the decades prior, this push for self-acceptance and inclusivity has seemed to come to a halt.
Where the movement stands today
Social media has not always been a safe haven, with constant risk for criticisms on bodies. This has been seen most notably through Tumblr, which was filled with “thinspo” content that sought to promote being thin as the ideal body type.
While Tumblr’s toxic body content has since become widely criticized for the impact it had on young girls, a push for thinness has recently been noticed in mainstream media.
A wave of weight loss has taken over Hollywood, as celebrities replace curves and BBL’s with a thin figure. This mass weight loss the public is witnessing from celebrities came with the popularization of Ozempic, the diabetes drug people are using to rapidly lose weight.
This new body trend which society has seen several times before, promoting thinness and stigmatizing bodies which do not fit into this expectation is very harmful. Especially in the context of weight loss drugs, as women and young girls see this being portrayed as the norm and assume that it is attainable by natural means.
Inclusivity is lacking today, as well. Not only in the context of body types, but with race, gender, ability and more. The removal of diversity, equity and inclusion in many workplaces and negative talk of individuals who do not fit into a certain box is harming our society and uplifting voices that set back movements like body positivity.
The body positivity movement did not disappear, but it definitely has been overshadowed by a portrayal of a thin body type that is unattainable for many. The lack of body positivity in media today is causing the movement to regress and further stigmatize those who feel their body does not fit into these strict standards. Now is a time more than ever that social media users, content creators and celebrities need to highlight the beauty in all different body types rather than glamorizing one specific category of bodies.
