Body Neutrality

These days it’s “normal” to see a bikini advertisement showcasing a plus size model, for clothing lines to have sizes ranging from XXS to XXL and beyond, or for plus size (technically obese and unhealthy) models to grace the covers of magazines or beauty campaigns. I’m a big believer in showcasing all types of body types, sizes, colors, etc. but sometimes I wonder if society goes too far to glamorize these sometimes unhealthy bodies.

Now, I’m not talking about the off person who has a thyroid issue and cannot lose weight, or someone who might be 5 to 10kg over their ideal weight. I’m talking about people who are genuinely unhealthy and take to social media to glamorize and normalize their lifestyle. I don’t think we should be encouraging people to look any way, but I find an issue with normalizing a diet that is high in sugar and processed foods and I don’t want to normalize walking as someone’s only form of exercise. One example that comes to mind is Lizzo. She’s a plus size celebrity who has become especially famous over the past few years and she doesn’t hide behind her weight. She posts about her diet plan and photos of her exercising, but at the end of the day, she would still be considered overweight and unhealthy. While there might be a reason for this that she’s not sharing with us, I don’t think that people with Lizzo’s body type should be “normalized” into society, especially because I think it sends the wrong message to people.

Yes, people are worthy of love regardless of their body type but people should strive to be in a healthy weight range for their body, to feed themselves nutritious food, and to exercise every day because it’s genuinely good for your longevity. This doesn’t mean you need to be as extreme in your diet as Gwenyth Paltrow or that you need to have Gisele Bündchen body at the beach, but it does mean that you eat somewhat nutritiously and that you get your heart pumping at least 4 times a week. Whatever you look like if you do those things is “enough.”

While living in the US, I had a very toxic body image. I genuinely could not understand what I looked like - if I was overweight or underweight. If my workout regime was working or not working. I had body dysmorphia to the MAX. It’s impossible for any one body shape or size living up to all the standards for beauty. “If you’re thin enough, then you don’t have that ass that everybody wants, but if you have enough weight on you to have an ass, your stomach isn’t flat enough.” It’s enough to send anyone into a real shame/hate spiral.

Since moving to Germany, I’ve discovered the JOY of naked saunas. (pre-2020-me never thought I would write that sentence). Something that Germans (maybe all Northern Europeans…?) love is a good sauna session, usually done nude. When I went to my first nude spa, I was SHOCKED. I genuinely didn’t know where to look and constantly worried about running into someone I knew. This lasted about an hour, until I realized how liberating it is to be comfortable in your body in front of complete strangers. It gave me a kind of “body positivity” rush. A feeling that said “this is what I look like, nothing to do about it now, and that’s that.” This is probably the first time I’ve ever felt this way after years of awkward girls’ locker room showers and being told to cover up by my own mother, it was nice to reveal my body in a non judgmental environment where everyone is as vulnerable as I am. Nowadays, a quick nude sauna session after my workout at the gym is a treat that I often indulge in.

And it's not just at the gym. I've noticed that people in general are less obsessive about their bodies and sexualize body parts much less. You'll see kids running around basically naked at the park without any adults batting an eye. (Side note: Alex & I saw a mom hold her 4ish year old daughter up by the legs, fold her up, and let her pee on the sidewalk next to a car. Nobody but us was shocked...). I love that people are so comfortable changing in front of one another and that we don't have to be so covered up all the time. That if you spontaneously stumble upon a lake, you're welcome to go for a dip, bathing suits be damned.

As someone who is new to public nudity in general, it’s quite refreshing to see women (and men) of all sizes politely sitting together in the sauna. Nobody looks at one another, it’s not sexualized, and everyone says a quiet, short, and polite “hello” or “goodbye” when they enter or exit. Even going into the sauna alone feels totally safe and natural - not in a “hey, here I am” kind of way, but in a “wow this is so nice not to be targeted and sexualized so menial as my body.”

Maybe I find all of this easy to say as someone who is relatively healthy and fit (I am by no means a Victoria’s Secret model) and I would think differently if I was a plus size person. For me, there’s a thin line between accepting all body types and being cordial and polite in public, and glamorizing plus size models in the fashion and beauty world. I don’t know what the “limit” would be, but I hope that as a society in general we move towards a standard where everyone is keen to take care of themselves (whatever that looks like for them).