Appreciating our body figuration.

In times past, I have often wondered why people do not come in the same body shape. Even amongst family members, you will find that there is a big difference amongst the children. This is a result of the diversity of the human race and genetics. It is not a bad thing but rather it adds spice to life.

Think about this;”What would the world be like if we all had the same body shape?”

Well, I'll tell you the answer. This world would be boring and monostylish (I made up that word 😁). Diversity leads to variety which in turn leads to an appeal of desire. This makes sure that everyone gets to pick their choice.

The habit of being self-conscious can come about when a person is not proud of their body shape and when such a person compares him or herself with someone else whom they see as being more beautifully shaped than they are. This can lead to low self-esteem and lack of confidence.

Hence, body positivity is a great movement that helps to promote self appreciation of how a person looks regardless of size, weight and shape. It is accepting yourself the way you are, knowing that you are beautiful just the way you are.

This is a good thing because it seeks to boost confidence and self-esteem rather than self-consciousness which leads to self condemnation.

Society always has something to say about almost everything. If you are slim, they say that you are sickly and if you are fat, they say that you are ugly. This is so confusing as there is no scale of balance to know which shape or size is perfect.

This can lead to bullying. I recall that during my secondary school days, I was usually bullied because of my body shape. I was very thin and my peers often teased me that I could break like a dry twig at any time. The worst part was that I was very busty, so that gave me the shape of a lollipop. Bigger upper body and slender lower body.

Going to school was a bit difficult. What saved me a little was the fact that I was very brilliant in school and so I still had some friends even though they also joined in teasing me.

I remember crying secretly and praying to God many times to make me fat so that the teasings would stop. I even wanted to take a pig fattening drug known as mawu mawu but a sincere friend warned me of the side effects and so I didn't take the drug.

God heard my prayers but He didn't make me fat, rather he made me understand that my body shape did not define me and I am beautifully and wonderfully made by Him. I allowed this truth to sink into my consciousness and soon, I stopped feeling self-conscious and began liking myself more. Today, I can say that my body shape has improved a lot and I am now well rounded although still slim.

Can body positivity be taken to the extreme and become toxic?

Yes, it can and this has severe consequences because it blinds the person from seeking help where necessary as some body shape might be caused by certain sicknesses unbeknownst to the person.

Secondly, extreme body positivity can make someone become pompous and arrogant. Which is also not a good trait.

Let me cite this story I read concerning a popular Nigerian female comedian. This lady in question was very obese and overweight and for a long time, she thought it was a good body shape because that is how African women are. Not until her little nephew who came to spend some time with her noticed that she wasn't breathing properly each time she slept.

Jokingly, she went to the hospital for a check up and truly, she found that she had health issues that would have led to her death. It didn't take long before she went on a full body slimming regiment and today, that lady is looking beautifully slim and healthy too.

Loving your body shape, size and weight is good but we should also be aware enough to know if that shape is a healthy one or not.

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Thanks for reading.

Images used are mine.

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