The body positivity movement is all about one thing: all bodies are beautiful! No matter what you look like, big or small, with lots of hair or not much, with wrinkles or stretch marks – you are perfect the way you are. Accepting this thought and feeling really beautiful, even with all the flaws you discover about yourself, is very difficult for most people.
For a long time, a certain ideal of beauty has dominated the media: slim, not too small, clean and smooth skin, shaved all over. But reality often looks different and that builds up a lot of pressure for some people. But it is totally normal not to look as perfect as the people on their Instagram profiles. Often the photos distort reality – it is not uncommon for people to cheat and adopt a certain “advantageous” pose or for pictures to be edited. That’s why body positivity calls for more diversity on all platforms. There are already a few brave and strong people out there who point out the differences between “Instagram” and reality, with a healthy dose of humor. In this way, it is shown to all users that there is not just one perfect body image, but that we are all different and that this is perfectly okay.
If you find it difficult to accept this for yourself, you can try the following: Try to notice and question your own thoughts and actions in this regard. Do you think negatively about your body and others? Try to counteract with loving and appreciative thoughts! It can also help to shift the focus of compliments. Instead of praising an outfit or someone’s figure, you can emphasize a certain quality of a person, for example: “I think you are a very good listener! Everyone is sure to be happy about such compliments. The focus is no longer on appearance, but on what you can actually influence – actions and values.
To celebrate women* as works of art, we’ve themed our new collection of notebooks “Female Empowerment” – feel free to check it out.