What is body positivity and why is it important? Read more as we unpack the meaning of self-love and embrace plus-size fashion.
Let’s play a game. We want you to look in the mirror and write down a list of all the things you wish you could change about yourself. Done? Okay, now, take a long, hard look at that list and tear it up. Why? Because you shouldn’t indulge in that kind of negative thinking.
We have all been there, standing in front of that mirror in the dressing room or stepping off a scale and feeling utterly defeated. For many this is a key turning point to start making a change, and often the change isn’t positive.
If you don’t like what you see perhaps it’s time to change the way you see things. A fresh perspective and a positive attitude can be just as effective as looking the way you wished you did or weighing as much as you hoped you would. It’s time to embrace a new mindset, and in the process, a new you.
In the wise words of TLC,
“But if you can’t look inside you… find out who am I too? Be in the position to make me feel so damn unpretty.”
Reframe your thinking to be more self-accepting. The body that you deny is ultimately all yours and although it feels as if it lets you down sometimes, it represents you and your life experiences. Respect it. Love it. Be proud of it.
The buzzword here is respect. As with relationships, love and respect go hand in hand and your relationship with your body needs to consist of both in order for you to fully master self-acceptance. This means that although you may love the skin you’re in, you also have a responsibility to ensure that you are doing what is best for you. In layman’s terms, take care of both your mental and physical health.
So what is all the fuss about Self-Love and Body Positivity?
Nora Whelan defines body positivity as:
“…unlearning the idea that only certain bodies are worth acceptance and praise, and instead recognizing that all bodies are equally valuable. It’s deciding what feels good and healthy for you personally, and letting other people do so for themselves. It’s understanding that you deserve to live in your body without receiving the prejudice of others (whether that means rude comments, reduced economic opportunity, inadequate health care, or something else), and working toward a world where no one’s body is the target of such bias.”
Essentially, what it comes down to is being kind to yourself. Women are slowly but surely beginning to accept that there isn’t a set standard for the way bodies are supposed to look and are fighting the narrow, age-old norms of beauty that are perpetuated by various media.
We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with imagery, media and other stimuli telling us to ‘wear that’, ‘try this’ or ‘do that’ to be a part of something bigger and better than ourselves, but really, all it takes is an acceptance of self to realise that you don’t have to fit in. In fact, the best thing you could possibly do is stand out and be yourself in a world that tends to uniformity.
Take Ashley Graham, for instance. Before her SwimSuitsForAll ad in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, people equated the term ‘plus-size’ with some level of infamy. “I feel responsible for so many women because I’m representing a type of woman that has not been represented in Sports Illustrated,” Graham told InStyle. Since then, she has risen to fame as not only the first ever plus-size model to be featured on the cover of the popular magazine, but also a powerful figure in the body positivity movement. “I definitely think that my body has changed many peoples’ lives. I’ve used my body as a tool to talk about taboo subjects, such as cellulite or being insecure about lower belly fat—and also [how to] talk life into your body and have an affirmation kind of conversation with yourself,” she expressed in her Vogue interview.
Like Graham, many have followed suit with a fierce acceptance of self and a reluctance to conform to a fixed norm. Denise Bidot, who was one of the first plus-size models to walk a fashion week runway, has spearheaded an empowering campaign which is aimed at confronting the controversial ideas around size. “There’s no wrong way to be a woman,” said Bidot. Taking to social media and various other media platforms, Bidot, Graham and many others like our very own Junetta Syster and Charnelle Paulse, are shifting perspectives on the way people see beauty. Skinny no longer equals beautiful, and stretch marks and cellulite are now accepted as natural.
Women are not all cut from the same cloth, so our clothes shouldn’t be either. Rally your own personal revolution by embracing your curves, stretch marks and figure with Zando. Shop our plus-size collection and find something to suit your style standards, pocket and size.
Sources:
http://www.w24.co.za/Wellness/Body/the-problem-with-hipdips-and-body-positivity-20170727
https://www.buzzfeed.com/norawhelan/body-positivity-101?utm_term=.yjgeVkZJ3#.xs5xXa30Q
http://www.instyle.com/news/ashley-graham-2017-body-positivity-message
http://www.vogue.com/article/ashley-graham-book-a-new-model-body-positivity-confidence\
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/entry/denise-bidot-on-how-her-moms-body-image-struggles-helped-her-love-her-curves_us_56fbf43de4b0daf53aee339e
