Body positivity has become a big buzzword on many campuses. Stemming from a desire to stamp out the toxic negativity and bias that comes from body-related judgments, it has become a critical movement towards cultivating a more inclusive and welcoming student body. After all, according to the CDC, up to 1 in 5 students of college age are picked on for their weight.
Unfortunately, there has been a growing trend wherein body positivity has been more exacting in terms of who it deems a true ally. Specifically, it has started to turn weight loss into a “bad word,” much like how being called “fat” was considered shameful in weight-critical circles. As a result, anyone who tries to lose weight, regardless of whether valid reasons like health fuel it, is seen as a traitor to body positivity. Even among body-positive influencers with loyal followers, losing weight caused an influx of negative reactions. In some cases, this led to influencers hiding their bodies again and having to censor the content they put out, for better or worse. The truth is, though, that body positivity is much more nuanced than people give it credit for, and it needs to stay this way to effectively promote wellness among busy students.
The importance of body positivity
College campuses are notorious for impacting students’ weight and wellness, given the intense pressures and expectations from academics, social interactions, and the like. This is why eating disorders most commonly take root between the ages of 18 to 21. To date, this results in up to 20% of women and 10% of men in college suffering from an eating disorder, with numbers only continuing to rise.
Sadly, this disordered approach to eating is hard to shake even if you’re not on campus. In a previous article posted here about disordered eating during holidays, many students experience anxiety once during college breaks. This is because being back home often means having to eat more while having well-meaning family members make more body-related comments. This is where body positivity on campus plays a role. As touched on above, body positivity is borne of a desire to carve out an equally loving and inviting space for all shapes and sizes. This is particularly true among more marginalized black and brown bodies that society tends to be more critical of. On campus, this movement can serve to help anchor a student’s self-love and aid them in nourishing a better relationship with eating and exercise. This can then be carried over into personal interactions and adulthood.
Why weight loss has room in body positivity
While losing weight as a body-positive individual does require being mindful of how you take space in the community, it doesn’t mean that said person is suddenly a hypocrite if the weight loss is brought by valid reasons and pursued responsibly. One such weight loss approach that is often mentioned in the argument regarding body positivity and losing weight is medical weight loss.
As per The Cut, medical weight loss drugs, like GLP-1 agonists, are sometimes perceived as mere tools for vanity that have people countering the inclusive mindset that body positivity has created. However, the truth is that using a GLP-1 for weight loss is rooted in the pursuit of good health more than anything else. Available only via prescription, these drugs are given to patients who satisfy strict requirements. This includes having a BMI over 30 or close to it with comorbidities. While popular brands like Ozempic and Wegovy are linked to celebrities, most users are actually regular people who just want to live longer and fuller lives outside of chronic obesity. It should be noted that obesity is linked to higher risks of diseases like diabetes and cancer. If anything, making such an effort is actually aligned with body positivity’s ethos of honoring the body you have.
That said, the kind of weight loss that can hurt the community involves methods and ideals based simply on attaining a specific aesthetic. For instance, observing diets like keto and paleo for slimming down takes on a highly restrictive approach. As such, while they can lead to quick results, they’re more likely to cause disordered eating since they’re not based on balance or nutrition. Since these are also likely to create deficiencies, any weight loss is not sustainable or healthy. Thus, the only real “benefit” here is achieving a slimmer frame, which is not what body positivity wants to encourage. As a college student, these can even create more serious issues, as they can weaken the immune system, causing you to miss out on key academic and social milestones.
In closing, college life can put a strain on your self-perception. Body positivity can help mitigate this, but it shouldn’t be twisted into an exclusive clique that discourages improving health.