Health Positivity

Body positivity campaigns gain ground but unfortunately, at the cost of being healthy and fit

- Shutapa Paul

Few days ago, I read a newspaper story about a social media influencer and her promotion of body positivity. The young lady sat resplendent on the newspaper pages, noticeably overweight to the point of being considered clinically obese, as she waxed eloquent about being proud in your own skin. While I concur that acceptance of our bodies is an undeniable essential in today’s shallow, Instagram-first world; there’s yet another fad emerging that’s equally dangerous. In our endeavour to wean away impressionable minds from thigh gaps of rake thin models splashed on glossy magazines or tinsel town divas with perfect Botox-ed faces and silicon breast appendages, we seem to have completely forgotten the health factor.

Media campaigns are so focused on reducing the glare on fat-shaming and encouraging people to love themselves, that unbeknownst they are saying it’s okay to be overweight and therefore, have serious health issues later in life. The raging pandemic has turned all of us more health-conscious, and while a few seemingly healthy individuals have fallen to the deadly Covid-19 virus, there are enough people who have recovered; and those who have been leading a balanced lifestyle have fought the virus best.