**TL;DR There is a distinction between body positivity and the Body Positivity Movement: there is only room for slim bodies in the former** Body positivity is the concept of accepting and celebrating bodies for what they do and how they look. Practicing body positivity can lead to a healthy body image, which is beneficial for your [mental and physical health](https://www.premierhealth.com/your-health/articles/women-wisdom-wellness-/good-body-image-is-good-for-your-health), self-confidence, and sense of identity. Anyone who has a body can practice body positivity and benefit from it. However, body positivity is now synonymous with the Body Positivity Movement. This movement was forged out of the [fat acceptance movement](https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/fat-acceptance-movement/) in the 1960s, which advocated to end society’s discrimination of fat people. The [current wave](https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-body-positivity-4773402) of the Body Positivity Movement arose in the early 2010s, as a reaction to societal beauty standards that rejected and shamed plus-size, disabled, transgender, and non-white bodies. Body Positivity has a long history of subversion: often lead by fat women of colour and disabled women, their self-acceptance is a radical statement that challenges society, which has equated worthiness with slimness. The ultimate aim of the Body Positivity Movement was to fight the systemic oppression of people in ostracised bodies (such as fat, disabled, and older bodies) and to advocate for their rights. These aims include: in society, to rewrite negative stereotypes about fat people; in healthcare, to treat fat patients with as much care and respect as slim patients; in fashion, to make larger sizes of clothing more accessible; in the media, to represent the diversity of fat people; and in travel and leisure, to make seats bigger. In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in who forefronts the Body Positivity movement. As body positivity has gained attention from wider society, brands and public figures have commodified it. As a result of this, the people celebrated as advocates for body positivity have got thinner (and paler) as the movement progresses; there is less exposure for advocates over a certain size, leading to some commenting that it celebrates only the [“acceptably fat”](https://www.thelily.com/the-body-positive-movement-excludes-women-like-me-those-who-arent-acceptably-fat/?). Many slim-bodied people now also participate in the Body Positivity Movement through social media, with recent [viral TikTok videos](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22226997/body-positivity-instagram-tiktok-fatphobia-social-media) of slim people embracing their own stomach rolls. Slim-bodied people can also suffer from the pressures of societal beauty standards and can engage in self-acceptance and self-love to counter this. However, the problem with their involvement in the Body Positivity Movement is that they often get more attention than fat advocates, due to the [institutional bias in favour of slim people](https://theconversation.com/discrimination-against-fat-people-is-so-endemic-most-of-us-dont-even-realise-its-happening-94862). As slim-bodied people have joined the Body Positivity Movement, fat people have been [decentred and excluded from it](https://twitter.com/DaShaunLH/status/1143089123680489472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1143089606470115328%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpulsembed.eu%2Fp2em%2FEED1QlMr6%2F). This has caused the movement’s message to change: it now focuses primarily on empowerment and self-love for all bodies, and far less on tackling the systemic discrimination of fat people. Fat people must be re-centred in the Body Positivity narrative, in order to improve the lived experiences of fat people. The Body Positivity Movement is not for slim bodies, because slim bodies are already accepted by society, and the participation of slim-bodied people in this political movement hinders its mission.

**TL;DR -- The term "body positivity" all comes down to semantics. Fat people need a better name for the movement that isn't all-inclusive like "body positivity." That way skinny people can't jump on the bandwagon and steal fat people's hard-earned spotlight.** When I was a kid, I was *constantly* picked on for being "too skinny." And I *was* technically underweight up until after my high school years (I could never get above 88 pounds) -- but try as I might, I could never gain any weight so that the bullying would stop. Now all those years of trying to gain weight has come back to bite me, as my metabolism has slowed, and now I'm technically *obese*. And I'm shamed and made to feel less attractive for that, too. I think I ought to have a right to be positive about my body no matter what weight I am. I'm sick and tired of being shamed for not being *perfect*. I wish I could just feel comfortable in my own body and feel attractive however I happen to look. But being skin and bones is "ugly" and being fat is "gross." I can't win. I don't think it's reasonable that *anyone* should be shamed for how they look. Skinny people *are* shamed for that little fat roll that they pinch and show off on TikTok. Skinny people *are* shamed for being "too skinny." And skinny people *are* shamed for other cosmetic things that have nothing to do with weight. So they deserve "body positivity" too. With that being said, here's my actual point: The problem with calling it the "Body Positivity Movement" is that the terminology is too broad. Do you see how easy it was for me to add skinny people to the movement? Skinny people see the words "body positivity" and they can relate, because they get discriminated against for a plethora of cosmetic reasons, too. So they join the movement, and to be honest? You can't blame them, because the *terminology* applies to anyone who doesn't fit conventional beauty standards. I can see reason and understand that the Body Positivity Movement itself began as a movement for fat acceptance. But language is **powerful**, and when you use a **broad term** like "body positivity," anyone with a *body* is going to jump onto the bandwagon. And they have every right to, because unless we're supermodels, we're *all* shamed for one cosmetic reason or another. **Call it what it is.** "The Fat Acceptance Movement," "the Fat Positivity Movement," or if you want to be inclusive to anyone who doesn't fit conventional beauty standards, call it the "Unconventional Beauty Positivity Movement." As an English major with a passion for linguistics, I'm keen to the power of words. If you want to get across a SPECIFIC point, use SPECIFIC words. That way, skinny people **can't** horn in on your spotlight. Be *exclusive.* *This* is why I voted against the opinion title. Semantics matter, and unfortunately, people can't see past what the name implies, no matter how hard you drill the truth into their heads. That's the power of language. It's a double-edged sword, but you *can* learn to wield it to your advantage. So change the name. It's as simple as that. They can't take your power away from you if you seize it first.

It's a lie for fat women to not believe your weight affects your health