Body positivity movement goes beyond media
Ask any girl, no matter her age, if she’s ever played with a Barbie doll and she’ll most likely respond positively.
The Mattel toy, a household staple since 1959, has evolved on numerous occasions over the years, but her most recent update may be her most important change yet.
After low sales and criticism for promoting an unrealistic figure, Mattel released a new range of Barbie dolls that come in three body types: petite, tall and curvy.
This dramatic renovation also includes the gradual release of seven new skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. With 33 new dolls in total, Barbie is but one contribution to the trend of body positivity sweeping the fashion and media worlds in hopes of improving the self-esteem and body image of young girls and teenagers.
While the efforts are worth celebrating, how much does the media truly affect body image? To lead a successful body positivity movement, everyone must be aware of all possible contributors, educate themselves and make appropriate changes.
Countries across the globe have already made efforts to uplift young women. Last year France created a law banning supermodels under a healthy body mass index. More and more magazines and companies are refusing to use and support Photoshop to mask everyday imperfections.
Blaming the media entirely for poor body image is as unrealistic, as the perfectionist standards girls and boys alike place on themselves, continually striving for flawless results in every aspect of life. Every mind interprets images differently beyond a simple cause-and-effect reaction. Though studies show that the media promote images that can harm self-esteem, they aren’t the sole contributor.
Research proves the greatest influences on body image are much closer to home. Families, especially mother-daughter relationships, have shown to play a major role in how we view ourselves.
Increased education and awareness of body image and eating disorders is crucial to understanding how to prevent them. A disease thought to be entirely physical, only affecting young girls and caused solely through media exposure — these everyday stereotypes are incredibly false and prove society’s ignorance to one of the most complicated mental disorders imaginable.
Eating disorders can affect any gender, any age, any body type, and are often caused through countless factors, including genetics. Once society lifts the stigma shrouding eating disorders, it can then better be able to lift the younger generation from the depths of body negativity.
The media are not the only sources of change we need to see. Everybody has the potential to take a stand against body negativity.
Social media campaigns, through companies or grassroots movements, are spreading a cultural shift toward body acceptance. We need to praise the efforts and voice our approval of body positivity, like when businesses dedicated to weight loss, such as Special K and Lean Cuisine, campaign for a world less focused on weight and size.
In everyday conversation, we need to eradicate comments that shame others and ourselves and consciously commit to appreciating the beauty of diversity.
Learning to love oneself is a lifelong battle for many people. A sense of peace and acceptance is worth the struggle. The fight isn’t one we have to face alone.
The body positivity movement is so much more than a magazine cover or Barbie doll. It’s a call to change a collective mindset focused on defining itself through numbers, I’m talking to you fitness trackers, to one that values the artistry, diversity and capability of the human body.
