Body liberation is, as defined by the incredible Lindy West, is freedom from ALL expectations of your body, both external and internal.
This means that body liberation means recognizing and exploring our relationship to our body, and society’s relationship to our bodies, with a hell of a lot of skepticism and curiosity. It means not trying to force ourselves into loving our bodies all the time (I mean, that is the dream, but it is a daily process!) and not subscribing to what society says is desirable.
It ALSO means becoming educated on the expectations placed on different bodies by society, even if those bodies don’t look like our own.
Body liberation means fighting for body acceptance for our own selves, and body neutrality for a world that weaponizes appearance to push people into the margins. It is an ongoing process, and it is social justice, just as much as it is self care.
So, where do we start?
The concept of body liberation is difficult to grasp in a world that prizes appearance, but we can help. Consider the prompts below - take some time to really think and respond - and you will be well on your way.
Welcome to this journey! We’re so happy you’ve begun.
What comes to mind when you think of different body types? Do you attribute certain characteristics to certain types of bodies? Why do you attribute said characteristics to these bodies particularly?
If you are feeling particularly negative about your body or a part of your body in this moment, consider - who is making money off of you feeling this way?
How does society discriminate about bodies that are not straight-sized and thin? (Research: racism, weight bias, fatphobia, ableism)
If one day you woke up and found you were completely neutral about your body, what space would be cleared in your mind?
What is beauty to you? What has influenced your idea of beauty?
What can you do today to help you FEEL better (mentally, physically, and emotionally)?
What is something you can do to help further the body liberation cause for others this week? Is it volunteering? Calling out bias when you see it? Donating to an anti-racism organization?
What, if anything, has made you feel bad about your body recently? How can you limit interaction or disconnect entirely from this thing?
What has the media been telling you about how bodies ‘should’ be recently? What are 3 ways to debunk this expectation?
What ‘health’ messaging pops up in your mind that you are trying to unlearn? What questions can you ask when this messaging pops up to remind yourself that health is subjective?