In a world where diet culture and the thin ideal dominate, it’s crucial to find ways to reclaim and celebrate our bodies as they are. This is where body liberation comes into play. As an inclusive team of dietitians, we want to help you understand what body liberation is and how it can profoundly impact your relationship with your body.

What is Body Liberation?

Body liberation is a collective movement that goes beyond body positivity and neutrality to empower individuals. It uses a social justice lens to approach body politics, recognizing that biases and prejudices affecting health and well-being can be structural, systemic, interpersonal, and internalized. This perspective encourages you to see your body not as a problem to be fixed, but as a part of a broader societal context that often imposes unrealistic standards. 

Feeling Every Emotion

Examining the intersectional impact of prejudice towards one’s own body can be overwhelming. Body liberation emphasizes the importance of feeling and acknowledging every emotion triggered by these societal biases. It’s important to feel your feelings in effort to move through them. Unlike body positivity, which sometimes pressures you to love your body, body liberation makes space for all feelings, including potential pain and hurt from physical challenges or societal pressures. Additionally, it promotes the understanding that you don’t need to fix or even accept everything you don’t feel good about.

Embracing Diversity

The body liberation movement reminds us of our interconnectedness and the varied cultural appreciations for different body shapes, sizes, and colors. It encourages breaking away from the narrow Western beauty standards. This shift in perspective allows you to see that the way you exist is not the problem – it’s society’s narrow and non-inclusive definitions that are at fault.

Tips for Embracing Body Liberation

1. Educate Yourself: Learn about the social justice aspects of body politics. Understand how systemic issues may impact body image and health to gain a broader perspective on body liberation.

2. Feel All Your Emotions: Allow yourself to feel every emotion, including the difficult ones. Acknowledge the hurt and pain that come with societal pressures and physical challenges without feeling the need to “fix” or get rid of them. Remember, you don’t have to do this one on your own. Build a network of friends, a dietitian, and a therapist to help you move through this process. 

3. Celebrate Diversity: Embrace and celebrate the natural diversity of bodies in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Authentically surround yourself with all bodies in the media and in your personal life.

4. Reframe Your Thinking: Shift your mindset from feeling like your existence is a problem to recognizing that societal standards are the real issue. Empower yourself to exist confidently without shrinking to fit others’ expectations. This is another area having a team can help!

Taking a Step Towards Your Own Body Liberation

Body liberation is a powerful movement that encourages us to see our bodies beyond societal standards and to embrace all the emotions that come with existing in a biased world. At Confidently Nourished, we strive to create a supportive environment where you can explore and embrace your own liberation. 

We understand that dealing with negative body image and societal pressures can be uncomfortable, and sometimes you just need a space to talk about those harder emotions. Our team of dietitians can offer personalized strategies to help you navigate these challenges with compassion and expertise. Contact us today to schedule a session and start your journey towards body liberation and self-acceptance.