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Writer's pictureMireia Martínez

The importance of body diversity in today's society

Updated: Nov 23, 2022

Today's society has designated a body type as the perfect ideal to which all women

should aspire, but what happens when that ideal is realistically unattainable?



We live in a society that constantly tells people with larger bodies that they don't deserve

basic love and respect because of their weight. Many deny that fatphobia, but the reality is

that it is a systematic discrimination.


Fatphobia is a system of oppression that promotes hatred of fat people and fuels hatred of

corpulence. Society has, for decades, glorified thinness and idealized seemingly famished,

while large bodies have been considered shameful, disgusting, and unattractive.


However, the plus size community is learning to take its place in society. They have needed

time, patience, and trust to fight back, to make their voices heard, and to oppose society's

standards and opinions about body proportions that are understood to be healthy. This is

why body diversity is important, especially in the media, as it can be a great start to building

a community that contributes to showcasing greater diversity and can be a huge confidence

booster. The plus-size people who, for years, have hated their bodies.



Incorporating Body


Diversity recognizes the many possible ways to have a body and understands that no one

way is better than another. This is crucial in helping women break free from the

overwhelming pressure that comes from feeling that their bodies are somehow not good

enough as they are, just because they don't fit acceptable in the media.


There are many ways to practice body diversity to build a positive body image, no matter the

size or shape of a body, such as prioritizing mental and not just physical wellness, breaking

down stigmas through love for all bodies, and celebrate the diversity of bodies that make us

unique. These points are addressed by the body positivity, which fights for the visibility of

bodies that have been marginalized.



What role does the body positivity?


The body positivity movement is a social movement created to empower fat women that

seeks acceptance of all bodies, normalizing the older ones but also welcoming the smaller

ones. This rebellion, which boldly called attention to fatphobia in the medical industry, was fuelled

in large part by an exceptional organization of feminist and queer.


Many positive aspects of fair fashion brands supporting and promoting body positivity are

due to the work of political activists fighting against the oppression of marginalized groups.

Since then, many have rightly mentioned that the movement has lost some of its radical nature and today often misses the target to continue the fight. Instead of simply focusing on fat versus

thin, the movement must include people of all shapes, sizes, genders, colours, and abilities.

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