“I’ve redefined what beauty means to me and choose to see myself and my body as beautiful,” body confidence creator Tiffany Ima told Refinery29 last month. That was just one of the wow-I-needed-this pieces of wisdom shared with us during Mental Health Awareness Month on Threads, where we partnered with Meta to host a series of interactive Q&As. Each chat put a spotlight on mental health, wellness, and other topics that are often not discussed because of the stigma around them.
As part of our Taking Care series — which aims to empower R29 readers to take control and ownership over all aspects of their health and wellbeing via real conversations — we partnered with three content creators who want to help others do the same. There was Ima, who is also an ADHD Body Image Coach and who discussed body positivity and neutrality; chronic illness advocate and host of the Everything You Need Is Within podcast Gigi Robinson, who discussed living and thriving with chronic illness; and Plant Kween, a Black, Queer, non-binary creator who touches on everything from plants, to fashion and holistic wellness.
Ahead are excerpted portions of each creator’s Threads Q&A to inspire some much needed TLC.
Tiffany Ima (@tiffanyima)
R29: These days, body positivity is mostly dismissed as a marketing buzzword thrown around by brands, or — when used by an influencer or in a magazine — as something synonymous with “self-love.” Rather than promoting radical acceptance of marginalized bodies and elevating those rarely heard voices, some were promoting general self-love — and, ultimately, themselves. What does body positivity mean to you in 2024?
“Body positivity HAS unfortunately become a buzzword. It’s lost the original meaning, which is liberation for marginalized bodies. It’s not a term I use to describe my work because it’s important to be specific with my language.
“Helping people achieve Body Peace through three principles (Cultivate Compassion, Connect With Your Body, and Celebrate Self Expression) is what I focus on.”
R29: What is “body neutrality?” Do you relate to the term?
“Body neutrality is simply accepting your body without any overall positive or negative feelings towards it.
“Navigating this world as a dark skinned Black woman led me to believe I could never be beautiful because of my features. I see neutrality as an important tool on days where I’m feeling kinda blah, but overall, it isn’t enough for me. After all the healing work I’ve done, I don’t wanna be neutral about myself!”
R29: Women’s media, the fashion industry and diet culture have a harmful history, which can have (and has had) devastating effects on a person’s self esteem. While we have made some important gains, the pendulum seems to be swinging back again. (For example, we are seeing less plus-sized models on runways.) What do you think needs to change, and how can we take action right now?
“Listen to plus-sized people. The industry …read more
Source:: Refinery29
