How to be more body-positive
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How to be more body-positive

By Rebecca, 17.02.2022

Body positivity is not inherently a sexy topic, but we think it is pretty sex-related! One: There are a whole lot of naked bodies around Dusk TV. Two: Sex is better with confidence! Three: You are perfect just the way you are, which is pretty damn sexy!

Body positivity is all about feeling good in your own body. We have had enough of diet culture, enough of the New Year’s resolutions that focus on going to the gym, enough of marketing that tells people how to look, enough of body discrimination!

In our image-obsessed culture, many of us have been told our bodies need “improvement” for most of our lives. Well, it is time to counteract all that damage and learn to love ourselves the way we are!

Here are a few starter tips to become more body-positive.

1 Edit your social media

Unfollow any social media accounts that make you feel inadequate or “less than,” and replace them with accounts that promote body-positivity, authenticity, and kindness. If an account constantly brings down your confidence, it is time to get rid of it from your life.

Stop comparing yourself to the curated images and lives that are portrayed on your phone and surround yourself with positive messages that make you feel good about yourself (or at least on the way to feeling good about yourself). If it makes you feel bad, delete it.

Similarly, if you have friends or family members that bring you down – you should drop them from your life too (or talk to them about how their comments make you feel).

2 Talk to yourself like you are your BFF

Would you say those harmful things to your best friend? If they were feeling down about their body, would you agree with them or would you help them see how absolutely gorgeous and brilliant they are? Start treating yourself like your best friend and push that negativity out the door!

3 Think about what your body CAN do

Instead of focusing on the size of your legs, think about how they carry you through your day. If you are obsessing over your arms, think about how they help you write, draw, throw a ball, swim, or give someone a hug. Staring at your nose in the mirror? Think about your family’s history and all that is represented in your facial features. Not happy with your love handles? Think about all those loving squeezes they receive from the people in your life. Reframe the way you think about your body and focus on what your body CAN do. 

4 Find a feature you absolutely love

Is there one feature about yourself that you truly love? The colour of your eyes? The way your hair curls when it gets wet? The shape of your toes? A freckle on your cheek? Stand in front of a mirror and do not leave until you find one thing about yourself that you truly love. No ifs, ands or buts – one thing that you truly love.

In a month or so, stand in front of your mirror and find another feature that you absolutely love to add to your collection of things your love about your body.

5 Use your body

Take up space doing the things you love to do. Want to go for a hike? Go for a hike. Want to go dancing? Go dancing. Want to go swimming? Put on your bathing suit. It might feel overwhelming at first, but using your body will help you appreciate your body (and you won’t miss out on things you want to do).

If you do not want to go at it alone, there are groups you can join that emphasize inclusivity. Search for these communities online and if you cannot find one, create one! There are people at home waiting for these groups to exist too, so create a body-positive hiking club or swimming group or nightclub outing.

Similarly, if you want to have sex, then have sex! Use your body in ways that feel good for you, and having sex can definitely feel really good!

6 Spread the body positivity

Try not to put down other people because of their bodies. For some reason, society has told us we need to put down other people in order to feel good about ourselves, but it is actually the other way around. Getting rid of negatively thinking about other people will help increase positivity all around!

As well, instead of always complimenting someone on weight loss or telling people how beautiful they area, focus on providing real compliments about intelligence, achievements, and things you admire. Did your friend do something really cool? Tell them! Let’s stop focusing compliments on appearance and start lifting each other up in other ways!

Remember that baby steps are totally okay! It would be unrealistic to think the damage from society can be undone quickly. It is going to take work – a lot of work – but in the end, it is going to be okay and so, so worth it.

If you found this article helpful, pass it along to a friend! Let’s all become more body-positive together and fight the systems that created these negative thoughts in the first place!

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