How To Love Your Body. CMoo’s Body Positivity Resource Page
I’m going to start this post with two key pieces of information. The first is a confession or acknowledgement that there won’t be any new info here. As this blog gets bigger, I’m aware it might become harder to find the answer you’re looking for. I write this blog to help people, so I want to avoid this at all costs. I’ve already written a resource page for mental health questions here. Now I’m going to do the same for my body acceptance and self-love posts.
If you’re new here, welcome! Let’s dive into how to love your body. I hope this page helps you and guides you to what you need.
This guide will not link to all my posts, just those I consider the most important for those starting out in body acceptance. If you love them please have a good browse through the rest of my blog and maybe even subscribe and share? Pretty please?
Secondly, a disclaimer…
This blog is my passion project and I love it, but it does cost money to run. For that reason, I signed up for the Amazon Associates program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases so if you use the links below I will receive a small commission. Please be aware it does not affect the price you pay and I would never betray your trust just to earn a couple of pence. Anything I recommend on this site is a book or product I’ve loved and has really helped me. I hope it helps you too.
Do You Really Love How You Look? Aren’t You Just Kidding Yourself?
Yes, I really love my body as it is now. Even though I weigh 280 pounds, have fat rolls and cellulite, and wear size 24 clothes. I’ve learned the utter bullshit diet culture, thin culture, and the beauty industry is selling. I’ve come to see the beauty in all body types, thin, fat, tall, short, black, white, asian and all the other skin types. I love bodies that are apple-shaped, pear-shaped, hourglass-shaped, square-shaped and triangle-shaped. Bodies with vitiligo, missing limbs, stoma bags and in wheelchairs are all incredible and vibrant and gorgeous. Straight, queer, male, female, transgender, and non-binary? You are all breathtaking.
I don’t want you to think this was an overnight thing, though. I didn’t wake up one morning “cured ” of internal fatphobia. To get to where I am I did the work for a long time, and I’m still doing it. If you want to know how I did it, check out my story here.
So Now You’re Body Positive You’re Immune To Self Esteem Problems?
No, believe me, I wish I were! I spent decades having harmful beliefs about my body drummed into me. Thin culture is still everywhere I look. When women get together, diets and how bad they feel about their bodies is always a hot topic. It’s all over social media. Inescapable. That’s why every day is a new battle. I’ve written my take on all of this here.
It’s Amazing You’ve Made All This Progress! I Want To Do It Too But Don’t Know Where To Start.
I got you covered! Check out my how-to guide right here 😃
I also explain how to exercise like you love your body not like you hate it.
It’s So Difficult To Love My Body! I’m Trying So Hard. What Am I Doing Wrong?
Nothing! As I explained, this is a process, and it will take time. If you’re like me, you’ve been made to believe your body is ugly and unacceptable for a very long time. You can’t expect to flip the script overnight. Keep coming back here, purge your social media of anyone whose posts make you feel bad about your body and look for new role models who empower you and make you feel like the goddess you are. While you’re doing this, check out my guide to accepting your body as a first step.
Isn’t Being Fat Very Bad For Your Health? Aren’t You Promoting Dangerous Obesity?
NO! I am saying that all body types deserve respect and love. I’m not saying a person needs to be fat to be in the gang! Thinness is designed to be an exclusive club. I’m not going to counter that by creating another one. All I want is for all body types to be seen and celebrated. For people to realise thin isn’t the only body type you can be comfortable and happy in. My post here explains this in more detail.
Another fabulous resource is The Fat Doctor and Dr Joshua Wolrich. The Fat Doctor deals primarily with weight related misinformation. Dr Joshua Wolrich casts a wider net, but his book Food Isn’t Medicine is pure gold.
Body Positivity Sounds Great, But Maybe It’ll Be Easier Once I’m A Little Thinner. Eating Less And Exercising More Is Always Good, Right?
No:
- You’re still thinking thin = happy. It doesn’t and ii never will. You can learn to be happy exactly as you are.
- You’ll never reach your goal because if you do, the diet, beauty and fashion industries can’t make money selling you products to “fix” your flaws. They can’t have that, so they can, and do, move the goalposts continually to ensure only a tiny number of people can physically achieve it.
- It’s the diet industry again that is telling you that eating less and exercising more is the key to permanent weight loss.
If that were true, they’d run out of customers pretty damned quickly. They don’t, so what does that tell you? My full post on this is here.
Is Fatphobia Real?
Yes! I have seen so many horrible examples 🙁 Here’s a few of my articles dealing with this upsetting topic. Brace yourself!
Horrific And Fatphobic Internet Posts
The Truth About What Fatphobia Means
Doesn’t Being Fat Make Your Life Worse?
Actually, no. Fatphobia, self-hate and poor mental health make my life worse. Here are a couple of myth-busting articles for you.
10 Unpopular Facts About Fat People
It’s So Hard To Love My Body When Social Media Is Full Of Thin, White Bodies. What Can I Do?
Simple! Change who you follow. As I said earlier, remove anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself. Do a thorough audit and be honest about how their posts make you feel. You’re not going to learn how to love your body when surrounded by images that make you feel inferior. Then start filling your feeds with people who make you feel amazing! Here are my favourites:
Positivity Influencers with massive followings
Black Influencers
Influencers with non-hourglass figures
Male/Non-Binary Influencers
Was It Just Social Media That Led You To Body Acceptance?
No, some books were a massive part of my recovery and re-education too. Here they are; I hope they hit home with you the same way they did with me and help you on your journey.
Body Positive Power by Megan Jayne Crabbe. I am not exaggerating when I say this book changed, and possibly saved, my life. If you only read one of these books, this should be it.
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker
Health At Every Size by Linda Bacon
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
This list is far from exhaustive; there are so many other wonderful books out there. I can only recommend the ones I’ve read so far and loved, though, so that’s what this list is. If you’ve read others that helped you, then spread the word in the comments!
Final Thoughts
We get so caught up in how our bodies look that so often we forget the amazing things they do for us every minute of every day. Take a minute to check out this post, and we can all appreciate how incredible our bodies are.
That’s all for now. I wish you all the luck in the world embracing body acceptance and learning how to love your body. If you have any questions, comments or experiences of your own to share, please pop them in the comments or reach out and contact me.
