The increase of body positivity (or, as some are calling it, body neutrality) in mainstream media is refreshing and much-needed in our society. Since the start of the movement on social media, people from all over the world have expressed pride in finally letting go of their negative views and celebrating their natural bodies — no matter what shape or size.
If you ask content creator and podcaster Karly Polkosnik how the body positivity movement began, she’ll tell you that it didn’t originate as a hashtag or social media trend. Instead, it started with a real-life movement where minority groups protested for what was right.
We spoke to Polkosnik to learn more about body positivity, how it differs from body confidence, and the steps we can take to become more accepting of ourselves in 2023.
The importance of the body positivity movement
Polkosnik recognized the value of the body positivity movement when she recalled her childhood. “Growing up, there weren’t really any larger-bodied role models,” she said. “I grew up when America’s Next Top Model was categorizing size 10 girls as curvy models. Looking back, that was nuts.”
Fast-forward to today, Polkosnik believes that numerous body-positive role models, such as Lizzo, Serena Williams, Iskra, Jonah Hill, and Nicole Byer, are doing incredible things worthy of admiration, like playing the flute for an extensive amount of time during a concert and diminishing body standards in sports.
Body positivity vs. body confidence
According to Polkosnik, body positivity is rooted in fat activism. “It’s for people traditionally counted out of mainstream societal acceptance because of their body shape or size.”
Body confidence, on the other hand, inspires people to love their natural bodies. “Body confidence encourages you to love your stretch marks whether you’re a size 4 or a size 32 because that’s a regular experience regardless of the size of your body,” Polkosnik said. “It also applies to loving your gap teeth — which I do, hello cuties — or showing off your unique patterns of vitiligo. It’s all beautiful.”
Becoming more body positive in 2023
When we asked Polkosnik what we can do to be more body positive in the new year, she answered simply, “Start small because becoming body positive is much like building a habit.”
Polkosnik’s guide to becoming body positive
- Write down three reasons why you’re grateful for your body daily.
- Compliment yourself every time you look in a mirror.
- Change the way you speak about yourself. Polkosnik suggests taking time from your everyday life to engage in positive self-talk “to reprogram our minds and thoughts of ourselves.”
- Have a nakey dance party to your favorite hot girl playlist. “I swear [dancing naked] changes your brain chemistry to feel the happy vibes that the music is giving you,” Polkosnik said.
2023 body positivity predictions
Heading into the new year, Polkosnik expects forward-moving progression for the body positivity movement. “I truly feel like we’re on the cusp of tremendous changes, with many people advocating [for inclusivity] and more people learning to love themselves,” she said. “I think those same people are going to raise our next generation wonderfully.”
Polkosnik is personally pushing the body positivity movement forward with impactful content that resonates with her followers. “I hear from people with larger bodies that they fear they’ll never find love simply due to their size,” she said. “This encourages me to share my online dating life. I recently came out as a lesbian in May 2022, and I hope that sharing this will help dispel these stereotypes.”
Love is love
At Glowsly, we believe that developing a positive body image should be taken seriously because it can quickly boost your self-esteem, improve your mental health, and encourage others to accept and love all body shapes, sizes, genders, and skin tones. At the end of the day, what matters is on the inside.
