00:00Body positivity has nothing to do with promoting obesity or an unhealthy
00:04lifestyle. There's people who think that's all body positivity is about, being
00:09fat and happy. Well at least one of those is correct. If you don't understand why
00:13body positivity is simply the revolutionary notion to embrace and
00:17appreciate your body in whatever state it's in right now, allow me to over
00:22explain it to you. Body positivity has become a candy-coated buzz phrase that
00:28has been heavily misinterpreted and criticized as if it's a bad thing. It has
00:32become a social movement that centers on the belief of perpetuating positivity
00:35around your individual viewpoints of your physical body. It also advocates that all
00:40bodies are valid. Body positivity rids itself of societal ideals that fat,
00:44disabled, queer or anybody that deviates from the status quo is bad or
00:49undeserving of love and appreciation. Every living breathing human has body
00:54goals. Sometimes those goals make it a little difficult to love yourself where
00:58you are now. This is why body positivity is important. It's an active reminder
01:03of self-love in real time. Active meaning it's not about a person being
01:07comfortable in their body without any attempts at maintaining or improving
01:11their health. Body positivity requires mental and physical work. None of us are
01:16built perfectly. Not Beyonce, Rihanna or even JLo. Although like, sort of. The average
01:23size of a woman has always been above a size 2. I don't think I need to over explain that. What
01:28people seem to need clarity on is the representation that exists in body positivity.
01:33Why is it that when representation slowly seeps into being an actuality,
01:37people freak out? Representation matters until it makes people feel uncomfortable.
01:42Nike unveiled size inclusive mannequins and all of a sudden folks burst into
01:47complaints about promoting obesity. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but people who hate fat people just want them not to be fat, right?
01:53And one of the ways we can reach the haters' goals is to work out, right?
01:58Nike offering workout clothes to fat people allows for those fat people to work out, thus supporting health,
02:04weight loss, and reaching the haters' goal for the fat person to stop being fat.
02:08It's a win for everyone involved, right?
02:10Mannequins, models, images on screen, and the like, whether we want to admit it or not,
02:15help shape our perceptions of ourselves.
02:17I'd like to think that the days of women wishing they were real thin are over.
02:21Or better yet, the days of women or anyone wishing they had any other body but their own are over.
02:27Consider this. The entire world is made up of people who are all different shapes and sizes.
02:32Are we supposed to feel body negativity because we're not some falsified picture of perfection?
02:37There's a thin line between size inclusivity and promoting obesity.
02:43And it's time we made that line thicker.
02:45Because these things are not one and the same.
02:48When plus-size people love upon themselves, all that is is self-love.
02:53Having the array of humanity available and on display in fashion, fitness, or wherever
02:58is something that shouldn't be hated, protested, and nitpicked to death.
03:02We need to embrace the fact that the world doesn't reflect just one acceptable image.
03:06All of our images are acceptable.
03:08Until the next time people flip out over body positivity,
03:11I'm Danielle Young and this is The Overexplainer.
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