you are beautiful

The term "body positivity" has gotten some extra attention in the past few years. It's a movement that promotes acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities. Proponents focus less on physical appearance and more on the overall health of the human body.

Still, there remain misconceptions about what body positivity means and its true impact. For example, the scientific journal Obesity published an article in 2018 suggesting, “the body-positive movement is contributing to being obese.” Mainstream media picked up on this and ran with it with such headlines as, "Study finds the body-positive movement is probably contributing to the obesity crisis," and "Normalisation of 'plus-size' risks hidden danger of obesity."

According to the Office on Women's Health, a healthy body image means feeling good about looking and feeling comfortable in one's body. Conversely, they report that having a negative body image can put one at a higher risk for mental health conditions, including eating disorders.