Body love

Image from the author's Instagram (@virgietovar)

Take The Cake: Thin People Aren't "Naturally" Superior To Fat People

Fat people, we do not have to acquiesce to our culture's normalization of hierarchy. We do not have to turn the other cheek. Joy does not come at the expense of your dignity, of your humanity.

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The 3 Levels of Fatphobia are intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional.

Take The Cake: The 3 Levels Of Fatphobia

The 3 Levels of Fatphobia are intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional. Yes, everyone is affected by fatphobia. But the follow-up question is: How?

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Real self-care is respecting yourself instead of, quite literally, spoiling yourself.

Why Real Self-Care Is Not Just Buying Bubbly Scented Bath Oils

Self-care is a phrase so enthusiastically tossed about as of late that in many ways it has lost all meaning. In the same way “wellness” has gone, the concept now seems vague and fuzzy, somehow ineffable.

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Your body is beautiful now, cellulite, stretch marks, scars and all. Walk with it, love it as you go, and honor it every step of the way. (Photo by Ashlee Dean Wells, 4th Trimester Bodies Project)

Your Body Is As Beautiful Today As It's Ever Been

So, women, I’m talking to you — give yourself permission to love every inch of you. Honor your body, and meet it where it is. To those of you who’ve given birth: you’re forever changed. Relinquish the idea that you need to get your body back to looking the way it did before your baby was born.

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Sometimes it’s refreshing and vital to remember that our bodies have other roles. (Photo courtesy of the author.)

Getting In Touch With My Body Through Mermaid Lessons

When we heard that mermaid classes were coming to our local pool, we knew we had to try it out.

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My body, this larger body of mine, has been there through everything.

How I Came To Love My Fat, Beautiful Body

Beauty and body fat percentage are not mutually exclusive.

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"The body positive movement strives to put forth one idea: that all body types are valid, regardless of their shape, size, or disability." Image: Thinkstock

Your Body Positivity Needs To Include More Than Just You.

It’s pretty easy to see why people would want to rebel against [our current standard of beauty] — it’s unattainable, and even for those who manage to reach something close to it, it’s often unsustainable. However, in rebelling against the oppressive system, we run into situations where people denigrate others who happen to more closely fit the description of what we recognize as the ideal.

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As with road trips, you may run into detours, potholes, and traffic; sometimes you just need to take a break to refuel. Image: Thinkstock.

Am I There Yet?: The Ongoing Journey To Body Acceptance

Have you ever been on a seemingly endless road trip and asked yourself: "Am I there yet?" ...only to realize that your GPS says you have about eight more hours before your reach your destination? At that point, you probably felt like you were never going to reach the end of your journey, but even though you couldn't see the end point, you still kept going.

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