I wish I could just talk about loving your body.
I really do, y’all. I would be perfectly content to post pretty photos and talk about why you should paint your stretch marks with glitter.
(Which is totally worth doing, by the way.)
But I can’t reconcile myself to staying safe and dainty and quiet. I can’t make it sound like body acceptance is purely an individual effort that can be performed in isolation. Not when fatphobia, racism, classism, ableism and other systemic issues make it harder for people affected by them to find body peace. Not when health is presented as a uniform, universal moral good entirely within individual control, rather than primarily determined at population levels by the social determinants of health.
Not while there’s still a single person hating their body because society tells them they should, and profiting from it.
So here I am, that shouty fat lady on the internet. Can’t stop won’t stop.
I talk about bodies because I want us all to achieve body liberation:
Every Monday, I send out my Body Liberation Guide, a thoughtful email jam-packed with resources on body liberation, weight stigma, body image and more. And it’s free. Let’s change the world together.
Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.