Malaika
“There’s Nothing Positive About This.”
This is the statement that caused waves when one Tik Tok star decided to post about body positivity. In the video, he shows off his chubby body and explains that there is nothing positive about having a body like this. And that the overweight people who are ‘confident’ in their body should not act that way at all. After all, at the end of the day, they are promoting unhealthy habits. He also talked about how body positivity is about things you can control and weight can always be controlled.
He then went on to say that ‘there is no disease in the world that can stop you from losing weight.’ And he talked about all of this while being shirtless and stating the fact that he knows it can be hard to lose weight but he is also trying to eat healthily and that ‘there is nothing beautiful about body rolls.’ You can check out the whole video by scrolling below.
Source: Tik Tok
He starts the video off by showing what body positivity is really about.
It’s about accepting things about yourself that you cannot change.
Then he delves into how it is bad that we are promoting overweight people.
Body positivity also means we need to look at health and not automatically think it is linked to weight. Yes in fat white men, obesity is strongly linked to heart attacks. Good for you, but in women? Not as much. Different groups of people have different risks associated with weight like south Asians have higher rates of type II diabetes and heart attacks at lower BMIs than N. Europeans and African peoples, but why is that? Out BMI issues are based on folks in Belgium, not the world, so maybe we need to take a critical look at the data and determine what is real.
Like did you know if you are a weight lifter/athlete or have lipedema you can be technically obese, even morbidly so, but not have the health risks? Or that skinny folks can be “skinny fat” and be terribly unwell with atherosclerosis, diabetes, and high rates of cancer? Weight is NOT a direct link to disease. The first step to health is not, weight control, but critical eyes. -Cynthia
And also promoting unhealthy habits.
He has clearly thought a lot about this.
And finds it quite disappointing that the body positivity hashtag is filled with overweight women.
He even shows an example of what that page is really like.
Somebody could potentially use the body positivity movement as an excuse for their unhealthy habits, however, if the movement encourages you to accept and embrace yourself, it’s something that you should strive to follow. It’s also a problem if you view healthy living as something that you’re forced to do. If you’re constantly angry, tired, and you’re low on energy—it’s an issue.
Usually, our unhealthy habits are a result of constant stress and our behavior that’s meant to protect us from it. If we would have an honest chat with ourselves, we’d clearly see that we’re dissatisfied with ourselves only when we feel that we’re using our bad habits to cover our emotions. However, if we accept that we’re not perfect, we’re not pressured to change. That’s when you start developing a natural desire and curiosity to find out what the best possible version of you is. –Paulius
And apparently, stretch marks are always a sign of a person being overweight according to him.
Many people commented about how came off as quite harsh.
And that he didn’t do his due diligence by doing the research before posting this.
Although it is true that being overweight puts you at risk for some diseases.
However, this is the statement that rubbed many people the wrong way.
The whole video for anyone who wants to see it for themselves.
https://www.tiktok.com/@nottator_tot2000/video/6927766378791357702?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6936092149503182342&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0
As it is customary on the Internet, people had varying opinions.
Some people loved how ‘honest’ he was and commended him.
Body positivity means you do not feel bad about how you look. At the same time, it does not mean you celebrate being overweight. If you are overweight, don’t hate yourself. Try your best to work towards getting a healthier lifestyle. If you have birthmarks or stretch marks or anything that is beyond your control, do not be embarrassed about it. It is a part of who you are and be positive about it. -Mohsie
While others were ready to poke holes in his statements.
And some even went as far as to educate him on the real meaning of body positivity.
Moreover, stretch marks are not always there because of being fat, there can be myriad other reasons for those tiger marks.
Weight isn’t always an indication of health. So it’s wrong to suggest that if someone weighs more and that they have stretch marks, that must mean they’re not looking after themselves. We are all different. Some people will never be a size zero no matter how much they exercise or limit their food intake.
The unattainable standards of beauty have led us to think there is only one acceptable form of beauty and that’s not true. Body positivity is celebrating our differences and understanding that we don’t have to fit the marketable standard of conventional beauty. We are all beautiful.
At the end of the day, body positivity is all about accepting the fact that that you deserve to be treated with respect.
What are your thoughts about his statement? Do you think he took things a bit too far and perhaps was projecting hsi own insecurities or are we as a society promoting unhealthy habits in the name of body positivity? We do need to open a discussion about this subject so sound off your opinions in the comments below and don’t forget to share so others can join in the debate as well.