Before, whenever I was surrounded by a multitude of people in any space—at a shopping mall or in a park—I found my brain taking notes on how different my body looked from the girl in the cherry boots or in a silky dress. Summer or winter: it didn’t matter how many layers of clothing someone wore. My brain automatically drew a chart of differences that exist in my body versus theirs.
Versus? Like a competition? Like there should be winners and losers? It always bewildered me. For decades now, unrealistic beauty standards have been heavily marketed and profited from by pushing forth an ideal body type that everyone is “expected” to achieve. In an attempt to fight such damaging expectations, the National Organization for Women founded Love Your Body Day in 2012.
Love Your Body Day honors all body types, shapes, and sizes and further commits to promoting and building on conversations that include body positivity, self-love, and acceptance. Personally, trying to appreciate my body is a battle that I am fighting almost every single day (sometimes even twice a day!) with myself and with our body-shaming society. Unsurprisingly, my experience is not just personal, but a commonly shared one. Around 79% of people in the U.S. feel body dissatisfaction at times and one in three folks say that they would quit drinking alcohol, eating pizza, and using social media if that guaranteed an “ideal” body appearance overnight.
How to love your body fairly?
To be candid, I believe that body positivity is more of an ideological ideal than a practical effort one can seriously be expected make. I don’t think we can ever reach the ultimate positivity of being celebratory cheerleaders for our bodies—cheering on every little detail and never feeling any kind of distress whatsoever. This is not to say it is wrong to be in love with your body, but just that I feel it is unrealistic to think that you can find that constant admiration for it all the damn time. It is too much pressure, and—in my view—simply unfair. Trust me, I have been trying since I was a teenager—and now that I am in my early 20s, I am no way near the end line. I know what you might be thinking, though: how can I practically appreciate my body if not by being a hopeless romantic towards it? Try to shift to body neutrality!
Body Neutrality
Body neutrality involves a focus on the diverse pleasurable abilities of your body, rather than on its appearance. If you put more emphasis on how your body looks, it will be more stressful—as whether you want it or not, bodies are constantly changing. Thus, trying to love your body for its appearance is always going to be a rollercoaster ride. However, if you appreciate how your body lets you walk, wonder, and work, you’re way more likely to let go of the negative thoughts.
When my legs became a display of stretch marks, I tried to say and do everything I could to make myself truly believe that they look beautiful and that I should love them. It worked for five minutes—and then I’d notice them again in the mirror and ball my eyes out. Later, as I started to admire my legs, not for how they looked, but for how they allowed me to me run—something that I actually love to do on a daily basis—I became more grateful and understanding towards my body. I didn’t need to see the stretch marks as appealing or as ugly. All I had to do was accept the fact that they exist.
Body neutrality hence brings forth the idea that we are more than just bodies: we are complex creatures with various intricate capacities. To reiterate, the focus shouldn’t be on how your body looks, but instead on what your body is capable of. In my perspective, loving your body from that point of view is a more powerful and plausible way of embracing and celebrating Love Your Body Day!
Do’s and Don’ts to follow this Love Your Body Day (and well, every other day).
Do
Let your body rest when it feels exhausted and re-energize it with a short nap and a quick healthy snack.
Give your body a relaxing shower with warm water, soothing music, and some rose-scented candles. Take your time with it!
Follow accounts on social media that are focused on body acceptance and appreciation.
Make an effort to actively stop yourself from comparing your body with someone else’s. Remind yourself that there is no such thing as a “perfect” body.
Try to add words like “acceptance”, “gratitude” and “care” to your vocabulary when talking about your body.
Don’t
Do not hang out with people who still throw subtle remarks at you about your body to make you feel insecure and anxious.
Do not try to fit your body into clothes. Make your clothes fit to your body shape.
Do not excessively exercise in the hopes of achieving that ideal body appearance at the cost of your physical and mental health. If you do find yourself moving in that direction, kindly seek professional help.
Do not let others tell you how to best take care of your body. No one knows your body better than you!
Love Your Body Day stands as a great reminder to blur out the negative energy around our bodies and learn to respect and cherish them for what they do to keep us healthy, protected, and alive.
Written by Shreya Tomar.
Are you passionate about sexual health, relationships, and well-being? SHA offers a range of certification programs designed to empower you with the knowledge and skills needed to make a meaningful impact in this field. Our programs are renowned for their comprehensive curriculum, expert faculty, and commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive community. Choose your path and join us on the journey toward becoming a certified professional in sexual health. Learn more about our certification programs:
Elevate your career, expand your knowledge, and make a difference. Enroll today and join the SHA community!