Why Body Positivity Isn’t the Answer to Body Shaming

"'But the movement is a double-edged sword,' says Catherine Walker, Ph.D, visiting assistant professor of psychology at Union College. 'Yes, we’re talking about more bodies now, but we’re still putting the focus on the female body and objectifying women who we see as valuable only for their appearances,' Walker says. 'Then young girls and women begin valuing themselves only for their appearances too.'

The stats back this up: Only one in four people (men and women) felt very or extremely satisfied with their appearance, according to a recent, comprehensive survey. That’s not a norm we should be OK with, and it’s one that body positivity tries to combat.

'Having plus-size models and celebrities with more diverse body types is something we need to see,' Walker says. 'It’s the lesser of two evils and an improvement on how it used to be, but it’s still entirely body-focused.'

Body positivity is a step in the right direction; it’s not a solution.

So, How Do We Fix It?

In a perfect world, we'd stop talking about bodies (ours and other people's). But that's just not realistic. We can, however, change how we—women, men, the media—talk about bodies:

• Focus on what your body can do. Shift how you think about your body. Instead of trying to lose weight, set a goal that focuses on something your body does. Maybe that's moving more, running faster, or lifting heavier weights. It's really empowering to realize your body can do all sorts of things that have nothing to do with the way you look.

• Change how you talk about other women. 'Historically, we come from a place where we valued well-rounded aspects of men, even male celebrities,' Walker says. 'We care about their job, their family, their intelligence. Where is that for women?' "