By Aarushi Capoor

The exorbitant rise of social media usage in today’s world, especially amongst the youth creates an unrealistic standard of beauty, which often leaves individuals unsatisfied with their bodies and leads to an increase in body dysmorphia as well as unhealthy eating patterns.

Body positivity acts like a knight in shining armor for most of us, reminding us about how every individual deserves to form healthier relationships with their bodies and have a positive body image, disregarding the ideal body shape, size, and appearance that have been set by the society.

In recent years, there has been an abundant number of movements supporting body positivity. Since its beginning in 2012, many of these movements have had a significant impact on people, shifting unrealistic beauty standards to more realistic and approachable ones and has changed people’s lives and mindsets for the better.

However, these movements have also received a lot of criticism and backlashing, which often arise due to the misinterpretation of the meaning of body positivity amongst people. Many are of the belief that these movements have glorified obesity, overlooking all the medical complications that arise due to obesity. These include diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, gallbladder diseases and more.

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There is undoubtedly a fine line between promoting body positivity and idealizing an unhealthy lifestyle. Body positivity encourages acceptance and embracement of all bodies, which includes underweight, overweight and disabled bodies alike, that can improve one’s mental health and well-being. It is based on positive psychology, which encourages one to be grateful for one’s body and focus on the admiration of your features, even if they are not “accepted” by society, and not just neglecting one’s body by being lazy and not exercising and eating healthy.

Several medical professionals have stated that being thin and skinny does not make a person healthy and free of medical complications. Being underweight can also be the cause of many diseases such as Anemia, osteoporosis and more. A healthy lifestyle is about eating a well-balanced meal and having an exercise regimen that an individual is comfortable with and can enjoy doing.

One should understand the importance of body positivity in their lives and love their bodies instead of feeling guilty over changes that take place due to aging, pregnancy, sickness, gaining/ losing weight and much more. After all, a scale can never measure our worth.

(The author is an intern with Sakshi Post. She is pursuing Commerce with Mass Media at Suchitra Academy, Hyderabad)