Since time immemorial, humanity has been obsessed with achieving one thing: perfection. We have explored different ways to get a perfect face, a perfect body, a perfect life, and this desire has influenced how we consume, perceive and produce information. Over time and as technology progressed, the media has successfully portrayed perfection before our naked eyes: white skin, slender body, conventionally attractive men and women. This portrayal has drastically dictated the way we live our lives, setting ourselves to our own manmade standards of beauty.
The birth of traditional beauty standards has proven detrimental to the mental health of humanity, especially women, who have been subject to these unrealistic expectations of beauty. Along with the continuous rise of these repressive systems is the emergence of the body positivity movement. The movement has gained extra attention because the proponents do not just focus on physical appearance but emphasize on acceptance of all body types, including the plus-size figures, and the overall health of the human body.
The Office on Women’s Health of the United States has stressed the crucial role of having a healthy body image in other aspects of human health, such as socio-emotional and mental health. This is the core of the body positivity movement— feeling good about looking and feeling comfortable in one’s body. The movement is constantly challenging the traditional standards of beauty, as various fashion brands have chosen to be proactive, leading to a more diverse representation of models with different body types, and providing more expanded options for clothing. Stephanie Viada, a professional model, entrepreneur and a content creator, is a woman on a mission as she advocates for the inclusion of plus-size models in the fashion world. As a plus-size model herself, Stephanie underscored that curvy models should not be put in just one box, or be forced into fitting into one.
In a world today where the Internet and the media can be so cruel especially to women, it is our individual effort to champion body positivity by engaging in public discourse. We should always hold spaces where we can talk about the diversity of the human body and that it is our responsibility to reshape these societal attitudes towards plus-size bodies.
Written by: Markie Orpiano
