Think about the young people you work with. How often do they talk about how they look? Weight, shape, size – these things are everywhere in our world, and young people can easily get hurt by the messages they hear. You might have heard of “body positivity,” but there’s a bigger idea called body liberation, and it’s really important for us as youth workers to get it.

Body liberation isn’t just about feeling okay with your body. It’s about fighting against the unfair rules and ideas in our society that say some bodies are better than others. It knows that how we feel about our bodies is connected to things like fairness, power, and who has more say in the world. To really help all young people, especially those whose bodies are different from what society says is “normal,” we need to understand and use body liberation.

The origins of body liberation

Even though the origins of the term are being debated, it is commonly understood that body liberation as a movement started with people who were fighting for fat acceptance in the late 1960s. They realized that being against fat people wasn’t just about what people liked; it was unfair and stopped people from having good lives and good health. They fought for fat people to be treated with respect, just like everyone else. It happened to be so that many of these activists were also black queer women, therefore the fat acceptance was a fight for liberation for all bodies already from the start.

Over time, this idea grew. People saw that being unfair to fat bodies was like being unfair in other ways, like because of someone’s skin color, for their gender expression, or if they have a disability. That’s how body liberation started. It looks at all the unfair rules about bodies and wants to change them. It opposes how companies try to make us feel bad about ourselves so they can sell us things like diets or beauty products. Body liberation says that every body is worth respect and should have the same chances in life, no matter how it looks or how healthy other people think it is. 

Body positivity vs. body liberation: what’s the difference?

Body positivity is good because it tells us we should like ourselves. But sometimes it makes it seem like it’s up to each person to just feel good about their body, even if the world around them is saying their body isn’t okay. It can make people feel like they’re failing if they don’t feel positive all the time.

Body liberation looks at the bigger picture. It says that feeling bad about our bodies often comes from the unfair rules in society. Instead of just trying to love ourselves unconditionally (which isn’t realistic!), body liberation wants to break down the things that make us feel bad in the first place. It’s about working together to change things so that everyone’s body is valued and we experience more freedom to be in our bodies just the way we are without need to be changed, adapted, or manipulated in other ways. 

Who benefits from body liberation

Even though the movement strongly associates with fat acceptance, it has grown to include a many more groups of people that suffer from the existing systems displaying some bodies as worthier than others. Here is a non-exhaustive list of target groups that are included and benefit in body liberation efforts across the world:

• Fat people – individuals whose clothing size measurements typically fall outside of standard sizing categories.
• Individuals who identify as fat based on perceived societal standards, even if their clothing size aligns with standard categories. While they may experience body image concerns, these can differ from the systemic challenges faced by individuals with larger body sizes.
• Individuals with physical disabilities who may experience intersecting forms of stigma related to their bodies.
• Pregnant and postpartum individuals navigating societal expectations regarding physical recovery and appearance connected to pregnancy.
• Individuals with dwarfism who may experience body-based discrimination related to their height.
• Individuals whose physical characteristics are perceived as significantly deviating from societal averages in terms of height, weight, or build.
• Those whose appearance is perceived as not aligning with prevailing beauty standards or age-appropriate/gendered expectations.
• Queer and transgender individuals who may experience judgment or discrimination related to their gender expression or presentation, as well as not fitting the conventional understanding of “feminine” or “masculine”.

This list is not complete, as many more people experience body-based discrimination. It’s important not to overlook aspects such as age, baldness, or even clothing choices which can be a part of a person’s identity. These differences often distance individuals from rigid beauty standards, making them more vulnerable to harm in the form of bullying, microaggressions, and discrimination.

Why body liberation matters for young people

Growing up and figuring out who you are is tough enough for young people. When they also hear messages that say their bodies are “wrong” or “not good enough,” it can really hurt them. This is especially true for young people whose bodies are already treated unfairly because of their skin color, their gender expression, who they like, if they have a disability, how big they are, or other things. These young people often hear bad things that connect certain body types to being healthy or a good person. They might face:

• Being made fun of or bullied about their weight: This can make them feel worried, sad, not good enough, and can even lead to problems with eating (Puhl & Heuer, 2010). Like the first article said, being teased about weight can even make young people think about hurting themselves.
• Believing bad things about themselves: They start to think the negative things society says about their bodies are true, which makes them hate themselves and want to hide away (Thompson, 1994).
• Not joining in: They might avoid activities, parties, and even going to the doctor because they’re scared of being judged. This can stop them from making friends, learning new things, and growing as people.
• Thinking they have to look a certain way: They feel pressure to look like the people in magazines and on TV, which are often not realistic. This makes them unhappy with their bodies and can lead to unhealthy habits.

Body liberation gives these young people a way to fight back. It helps them to:

• Think about the messages they hear: To understand that the pressure to look a certain way isn’t natural; it comes from unfair rules and who has power in society.
• Fight against believing bad things about themselves: To learn to ignore the negative ideas they might have picked up about their bodies.
• Take control of their own bodies: To make their own choices about their health and how they look, without being forced or judged.
• Find support from others: To connect with other people who are also fighting for body freedom.
• Speak up for change: To become people who can make a difference in their communities by fighting against body shaming and making things more inclusive.

REFERENCES

1. Puhl, R. M., & Heuer, C. A. (2010). Obesity stigma: What we know and what we need to know. Obesity Reviews, 11(12), 947-969.
2. Thompson, B. W. (1994). A hunger so wide and so deep: American women speak out on eating problems. University of Minnesota Press.

Photo by AllGo – An App For Plus Size People on Unsplash

This article was created within an Erasmus+ funded project Microlearning for Body Liberation, contract No. 2024-1-LV02-KA210-YOU-000247374. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or The Agency For International Programs For Youth in Latvia (JSPA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.