I think body positivity is extremely important and an issue we must tackle, what we see on TV and on social media isn’t exactly an accurate portrayal of us. Yes, there are now plus-sized models on magazines on and on TV, showing off their bodies but these women are still photoshopped, smooth and quite frankly always white.

We still don’t see the different body types, the different skin colors, the blemishes and lumps and bumps that you see on real, raw, natural bodies.

I am not saying everyone needs to be plus-sized to be a model but even the models who are in great shape aren’t portrayed in a real light, photoshop still exists and we still aren’t really seeing bodies for what they really are.

It’s also important to note that body positivity can be different for everyone, for some it could be seeing more all-inclusive models, for others it could be seeing an end to photoshop and an end to what attracts the opposite sex.

The body positive movement is so important for us to all embrace and although it’s great we are seeing a shift in the media and including more body types, there is still so much more to include. We have been taught so much nonsense for so long and it’s time we all took a stand to embrace everyone and not just focus on whether that person is too fat or too thin but to focus on what they portray and who they are as a person.

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Something I also wanted to touch on is that the body positive movement has an unhealthy obsession with how we are perceived, we need to stop relying on these media sources to give us respect. How we are perceived by the world isn’t the only thing we should be known for, before our bodies we are human beings with thoughts, opinions, ideas and emotions and our bodies come after. Just because we are now accepted on magazine covers we are more than a diet or a body shape.

I think it’s important to always remember that, we aren’t just fat or thin we are people who demand to be respected for who they are and what they represent not just because magazines and the media want to jump on to the bandwagon to make themselves look good.

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What does the body positivity movement mean to you? To me, it’s the acceptance of all types of bodies, shapes and sizes. Not just fat or thin people but people with disabilities, legs lined with stretch marks and all other things that make us normal but are photoshopped out and disregarded by the media.

I want all men and women represented properly and fairly with the focus on who they are as people, not on their diet tips. If the shoot is about clothing, I want it to be about the clothing not about the model and what they did right or wrong.

We need to see bodies for how they truly are and we need to stop this false advertising of the natural human body. It’s harmful, extremely damaging and gives a hugely false representation of the human to the whole world. That is what body positivity means to me.