Body positivity. It’s not as straightforward as you think. I used to think I was being body positive if I loved my body, but apparently, it’s not that simple.
After embarking on my 90 day journey, I got so much negativity and backlash from fans saying that I hated my body. Did having a weight loss goal make me automatically a bad role for body positivity? Did having a fat loss goal make me automatically anti body positive?
I wanted to know if I had ever misused the term “body positivity.” I wanted to know what it really meant, where the movement came from, and who body positivity was actually made for. Are thin people allowed to be a part of the body positive movement or is it just for fat people? I wanted to know if I was out of line.
So, I did some heavy research and conducted interviews with women who were actively involved in the body positive community.
Big thank you to the following women!
Connie Sobczak
Website:
Instagram:
Simone Mariposa
Blog:
Instagram:
Lexi Eleni Placourakis:
Instagram:
Natasha Rusilko
Website:
Instagram:
Writer & Executive Producer: Cassey Ho
Cinematographer, Sound & Producer: Sam Livits
Editor: Danielle Murray
Sources:
New York Times:
Wikipedia:
Everyday Feminism:
Marie Claire:
New York Post:
Quartz:
Business Insider:
Adweek:
Paper Mag:
Urban Dictionary:
Here is where I get all of my music! Epidemic Sound:
******
Cassey Ho is an award-winning fitness instructor, entrepreneur and online personality. As the creator behind Blogilates, the #1 female fitness channel on YouTube, she’s transformed millions of lives through helping them achieve their strength and weight-loss goals. She focuses on making fitness fun and the results are evident. Cassey’s unique format, POP Pilates©, which launched as a workout video on YouTube in 2009, has become a live fitness class that can be taken at gyms all over the world with over 3,000 POP Pilates classes being taught monthly. Her authenticity continues to shine through, making her one of the most relatable fitness icons online and beyond. She’s also the author of the best-selling book, Hot Body Year Round and is the designer of her own activewear line, POPFLEX.
With a wide range of free workout videos available, Cassey’s channel focuses on ab exercises, butt & thigh exercises, arm exercises, pilates, cardio routines, fat burning workouts, high intensity interval training workouts (HIIT), stretching and flexibility routines and so much more!
44 comments
Do you like these types of mini documentary style videos? What topic would you want me to dive into next?
Also didn't the body positivity used to include visible disabilities? Like I'm pretty certain that was a huge part and then obese women came and pushed out disabled people from the forefront which was rly fricked up imo :/
My personal definition of body positivity.
Loving your body. No matter if you change it or not. Workouts, surgery, or just doing nothing to it. Whatever will make you happy with yourself and not judging others for doing the same thing their way
(I'm not trying to be offensive but) You are talking about body posivitiy but in the picture those women have tiny waists and small feet, I don't think this makes women to feel better about themselves.
Body positivity for me means loving my body as it is, accepting it's limitations and feeling comfortable with my body. Even though I want to lose weight this doesn't change the way I feel about my body. I learned a lot from this video and can't wait to see more like this.
Literally if you don't have a 24inch waist HUGE tits and a big ass these days then you're just considered "MEH"
periodt
Bruh stop talking abt weight
Weights are constantly changing and it's not a big deal
Body positivity should be more about amputees, burn victims, infertile ppl, women with surgically-removed breasts bcs they didnt have other options
As a (very) plus sized girl, it really make my blood boil to see and hear people shame and insult thin people and people attempting to lose weight! How can you call yourself "body positive" when you hate any body type or whatever it takes for someone to get that body type/size? If it's still body positive to stop working out and eat whatever you want and as much as you want because you weren't working out and dieting in a mentally healthy way (or whatever your reason), then why is it not body positive to start working out and eating mindfully in a healthy way? Either way, you're intentionally changing your body to reach a certain goal!
Honestly, I think people who criticize someone for being too skinny, or still working out when they're already skinny, or trying to gain weight because they're actually too skinny are, not only NOT being body positive for the thinner person, but are probably not actually positive about their own bodies. These ladies you interviewed speak very positively about everyone's body goals and also seem genuinely happy with themselves! That's what we should all strive for! Become positive about your own body, so you're confident enough to not hate someone else for having a different one (probably the one you secretly want but won't admit)!
This is, by far, the best body positivity video I've ever seen! ❤️
I noticed that most of the body positivity and body shaming is always aimed at women since women are given high expectations for beauty, can't be too slim or too thick. I think the skinny to fat differentiation is a means to separate women as a class and get us to childishly attack each other instead of the rich dudes who sell expensive make up and waist trainers. Picking and choosing the women you want to respect even though we all experience the same pain is just meaningless garbage that oppressors need to cling to in order to get a word in. Which is why I think women need to love and uphold each other instead of only upholding a very small subsection of women. Remember that every woman fights for something like being curvier, being thinner or being stronger, we're always seen as not good enough regardless of how good we look.
So, from a different perspective, but for me body positivity is not hating my body for being sick. I'm dealing with health problems all my life, some visible, some not. It's not that I don't want to get better (my biggest wish of all), but learning that it's also okay to be sick, since it's not something I have a lot of control over, and I shouldn't hate my body for being sick all the time.
I have rosacea all over my face at the moment, but body positivity means for to want to try to find beauty in it as well, and trying not to hate it (I now actually like how it look, it reminds me of freckles. I only want it gone because it feels weird and it iches, and since my skin is obviously not healthy). It's not necessary to love it, but it is about accepting it, and not hating it or despising your skin.
It's about coming to terms with scars I have.
Body positivity is not just about weight, it's also about health, disabilities, dealing with scars, skin imperfections, and things like that.
This is a great video.
IMO the biggest problem nowadays is, that people think that you should shut up if you're not 'part of the community' or movement. E.g. you can't be a part of BLM if your not POC, can't fight for gay rights if you're straight und can't be body positive if you're not plus size.
I refuse to pigeonhole mankind and I really hope that some day we can all be who we are and not be judged for it.
I think body positivity has a different meaning for everyone. For me it’s accepting your body the way it is but also keeping your body healthy and taking care of it (which means loosing weight of necessary)
Ye I’m fatphobic, you got a problem with that? RUN and catch me
isnt it all just a ploy to get political help so you can not change and eat your self to death with other being too scared to tell you off?
I have been actively told by body positivity activists that even if I don't think my weight loss is tied to "bad diet culture" it is because they apparently know my brain better than me. Why do we all seem to think we have a right over what people do with their own bodies? It's not yours. So leave it alone.
I love this! Thank you for looking into the hypocritical nature of 'support' in the body positive moment(s).
I. Am. Enough.
You look like you smell like the freshest flowers in the garden of Eden, looool.
I am skinny but struggle with scars all over my body and the fact that I have very light skin. Just because I am skinny doesn't mean that I don't worry about my body or get mean comments sometimes. Body positivity should really be for everyBODY Love this video and you cassey keep on 🤩💕
The woman in the yellow top is so pretty
it is pretty straight forward. i know what i like. very simple.
Tess Holiday is “hour glass” shaped?
Some of the leaders of the 'm"body positivity movement" (looking at you Tess Holiday) are not even inclusive. If you so much as say "I wanna loose weight to be healthier" she will shame you. Hardly positive
I'm not sure if I'll be talking into a void, or if it really would be helpful to assist in understanding? But I may as well hope its the latter & try help a little ❤
16:12 – I think the issues start to arise when there's a bit of mixed messaging… By that what I mean is, if someone's saying their goal is to get stronger, than a way to help display/share their progress (if that's what they want to do) would be showing actual strength progress, (eg. If they can now do a pull up, or can lift more than they used to etc etc) rather than using before/after photo's of their size/physique as the thing they choose to share in a comparitive fashion (as in by doing the side by side thing)…
I hope I'm making sense? But basically, we're finally starting to come out of a time where our bodies are something for display/pleasure of others, & starting to come into a time where people are seeing the benefits of seeing our body as a tool… Obviously there is slight overlap, because sometimes when we feel like we're being good to our bodies then we want to show it off… But the problems lie in the side by side before/after type pictures where it is about physique, rather than function/how we feel etc.
If the physique aspect is someone's goal (say for example a body builder etc) than fair enough, they can do their thing… But its about being transparent & upfront with that – The thing that tends to make people angry, is when they feel like they've been dooped, eg. If someone states their goal is strength/mental health etc, & yet they choose to display their before/after in a way that reflects they in fact had a different goal.
I hope that made a bit of sense? Fingers crossed it helps at least one person ❤ All the best from Australia – Emma 🌈
I don't have much body fat. I'm a bit thin but at the same time not skinny. My little body fat was mainly distributed to my stomach. So for my own reasons, I decided to lose some weight. And then, all hell broke lose. Everyone literally told me that I'm already skinny and I'm making a fool out of fat people. They said I was "looking for anorexia"
To be honest, this destroyed my mental health.
Only the people who love you for who you are matter and have value! Never let anybody tell you who you are "supposed" to be!
Appears like a group of self proclaimed victims, that espouse hatred,anger and resentment if people don’t validate and approve their unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle habits and behaviours.
You can’t “love” yourself if you hate others but more importantly “hate” themselves. ( overcompensating for their self esteem and worth )
I needed to hear this. Thank you
❤
I love this video! I think it‘s an important topic because I feel like some people just try to make their definition of body positivity an official definition or rule that everyone has to follow. Maybe to feel better about their body or lifestyle, maybe for some other reasons.
In my opinion, body positivity is loving your body for what it can do and the way it looks like. And if you want to change your body to get stronger, faster, healthier, prettier (in your view),etc. it‘s your choice. It‘s your body, take care of it and love it, doesn‘t matter which shape, size,… it is.
Our teacher is making us do questions on this video, btw i have watched a couple of your videos and their all amazing
Strange how so many activists demand empathy for their trials but then offer zero empathy to others. 😂
i actually thought body positivity was about being ok with stuff like scarrs, cellulite etc. and not about being plus size or thin
Couldn't agree more.. Body positivity is about loving your body, accepting it, knowing what it needs and changing for what makes our body feel good, what makes us feel good and embracing building that strength and journey..
Thank Lordy, I have lived out of the UK, not quite as vom enduing as Yanks, but getting there, in Belarus, Spain, Russia, Italy and Kazakhstan. Americans' nonsense is not taken that seriously there. Being obese is UNHELATHY.
It may sound controversial, but my genuine answer to your question "what do we do to stop fighting about body positivity?" is to stop making it a public affair. Embarking on a "fitness/weight loss/body positivity journey" should remain a personnal matter and should aim to get approval only from your doctor and/or your medical team. Sharing such experiences on social media will 100% attract both positive and negative comments and will most certainly make you reconsider the whole process. If you do it for yourself and keep it to yourself, you're more likely to remain balanced and confident throughout the whole thing!
our bodies do so much for us, we should be thanking it❤️
The body positivity movement was started by fat activists for marginalized people. It was created to fight discrimination not to improve an individual's body image. So, seeking to feel more positive about one's body is not the same thing as practicing body positivity. IMHO, everyone has the right to do whatever they want with their body if they aren't harming others. Putting forth the message that some bodies are more valuable or desirable than others (by doing things like posting before and after pictures) does send a harmful message to others. For more info, I suggest the work of Lindsay and Lexie Kite at morethanabody.org.
Heidi Howe
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everyone has undefined abs! let's just leave it at that and move on. You are wonderful and brave and although I'm a new follower, you delight me with your great workouts and spirit. Why overthink that, right?
In my country, the elderly are dying of hunger … All my childhood I suffered from hunger. In a world where people are dying of hunger, being overweight is a crime.
Not to be rude but it's simply loving your body even though you may have gone through physical "trauma" or are born different. There are people who try to hijack it or take it too seriously, whilst it's suppose to be finding the confidence you need