As youth workers, we can cultivate spaces into places where body liberation serves a meaningful role in making lives of young people better. Here are some simple things we can do:

• Use body-neutral words: Be careful about how you talk about bodies. Don’t comment on weight, size, or how someone looks, whether it’s a “good” or “bad” comment. Instead of saying “Wow, you look great, did you lose weight?”, talk about what they’re good at, what they’ve done, or what they’re like as a person. Talk about body neutrality, which means appreciating our bodies for what they do for us, not just how they look.
• Speak up against weight shaming: If you hear someone making fun of someone’s weight or saying bad things about bodies, step in and explain why it’s hurtful. Teach young people that it’s not okay to judge people based on their size.
• Help young people understand media: Talk about how magazines, TV, and social media show unrealistic body types and don’t show all kinds of bodies. Explain how companies make money by making us feel bad about ourselves. Encourage them to find and create media that shows all kinds of bodies in a positive way.
• Make everyone feel welcome: Make sure your programs and spaces are easy for people of all sizes and abilities to use. Ask for rules in your organization and community to be fair to everyone.
• Show all kinds of people: Use books, posters, and videos that show people of all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, and abilities in good ways that aren’t just stereotypes.
• Focus on being healthy in your own way: Instead of just talking about weight, talk about feeling good and strong. Encourage activities that people enjoy, eating good food, and dealing with stress without focusing on losing weight. Explain that you can be healthy at any size (Bacon & Aphramor, 2011).
• Talk about body image and feeling good about yourself: Create safe spaces for young people to talk about how they feel about their bodies, question bad ideas, and learn to be kind to themselves.
• Help young people speak up: Support young people in fighting for body freedom in their own communities. Help them learn how to talk about these issues and stand up for what’s right.
• Keep learning: Stay up-to-date on the latest information about body liberation, weight shaming, and fairness for everyone. Think about your own ideas about bodies and challenge any unfair thoughts you might have.

By using body liberation ideas, we can go beyond just telling young people to “love their bodies.” We can actually work to make a world where all young people feel safe, valued, and free in their own skin. This isn’t just about making individuals feel better; it’s about making our society more fair for everyone. Let’s work on this important change, one conversation, one program, and one young person at a time. 

Read more about barriers to body liberation in youth work here, or have a look in our blog for articles with specific methods to implement in youth work!

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.