Body-positivity Movement The Christian Way!

I want to begin with a warm welcome and a kind disclaimer. I believe everybody is wonderfully and beautifully created. Not everyone is created to be thin like a supermodel or curvy like a Kardashian, but we each possess a beauty that is unique to us. I do want to address how some people in the world have tainted the movement and allowed it to become either a gatekeeping practice reserved only for plus-size women or an enabling food addiction practice. This can confuse many people on how we are to love, accept, and care for our bodies.

Before I continue, let's address what body positivity is: Body positivity is a societal movement that promotes the idea that every body is beautiful regardless of what society says or believes. It was created to fight against the social discrimination against people with bigger bodies, specifically women (although it includes men, women are mostly spoken about when it comes to this issue). This movement is a success; we are now living in a time where all bodies are being appreciated and accepted, regardless of skin color or body shape/size. Like all movements, there are some people who will misuse or misunderstand the objectives of it; some groups have twisted the movement, and it has turned into a weird gatekeeping culture, where smaller bodies are being excluded or where people with bigger bodies (like myself) are told to not get healthy and continue practicing unhealthy eating habits. We know that acceptance of self and self-love is important, but what does God say about body positivity.

Acceptance

God calls us His masterpiece in Ephesians 2:10. He says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in Psalms 139:14. God created us intentionally, and we need to accept the way He has created us. When we have self-depreciating thoughts, we subconsciously tell ourselves that God made a mistake when He created us, which is far from the truth. A kind reminder that another person's beauty does not take away from your own. We also need to remember that these scriptures don't only apply to us, but to everyone. Everyone is God's masterpiece; each and every person is beautiful even if you don't see it, which is why we need to accept others and how they look, no matter the shade or size. Again, when we think less of someone, we subconsciously tell ourselves that God made a mistake when creating them, and this can affect how we treat them. (Disclaimer: I am in no way saying that people shouldn't have preferred types; I am just stating that different body types should not be shamed. If someone is not your type, then just leave them for the next person who will appreciate their beauty. I am clarifying myself because I don't want this to be taken in any incorrect manner. Let's get back to the topic, loves.) As Christians, we need to treat others with love, and that comes with acceptance. Another kind reminder: Your dislike of another person's feature does not make them any less beautiful. Everyone is God's masterpiece!

Love

Genesis 1: 26-27 states that we are made in the image of God! How wonderful it is to look in the mirror and know that God created us in his image. Ofcourse, this is not talking about our physical bodies, but it is a reason to love others and ourselves. This verse serves as a reminder that despite our outward differences, we are all the same, created in God's image. Acknowledging that the next person is created in God's image can help us accept them irregardless of how they look and also accept ourselves. 1 John 4:9proclaims: "We love because He first loved us". This truth also applies to our personal journey of self-acceptance - understanding that God's love for us enables us to love and accept ourselves wholeheartedly.

Healthy Living

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states that we are the temple of God and that we should glorify God in our body. 1 Corinthians 10:31 reads: "So whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." These two verses highlight how we need to glorify God with our bodies, and what better way can we do that than by looking after the body God entrusted us with. I love 1 Corinthians 10:31; it highlights one of the most important principles for Christian healthy habits, which includes healthy eating and exercise. This principle is that we should do everything to honor God. Once you realize how intentionally God created your body and how God uses terms like "temple of God" when referring to our bodies, we can take steps to actually care for ourselves and honor God with our bodies by keeping it healthy. We can do this by practicing healthy eating, such as eating enough and not overeating as is addressed in Proverbs 25:16.

What does God say about Gluttony, is it wrong?

Philippians 3:18-19 reads: "For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame." The focus I want to highlight in this verse is the part which says "their stomach is their god." Now tell me, y'all, don't we see this with the current body positivity movement centered around plus-size women? I've seen so many videos where a woman would say phrases like "Eat that whole cake if you want to, listen to your body." This is wrong; they are teaching people to gratify their flesh through food, which is unbiblical. Subconsciously, they are idolizing food and not practicing the gift of self-control. We need to be careful with this as it is easy to fall into this trap with all the over-processed food with addictive things like caffeine and high amounts of sugar.

Proverbs 23: 20-21 states that we should not join those who gorge themselves on meat for gluttons become poor. This verse also highlights gluttony, nowadays we have more options than meat to gorge on, so we should be careful in how we eat.

To Conclude

We should love ourselves and accept ourselves. It is important to realize that striving for a healthy lifestyle does not mean that we are striving to be supermodel thin or to look like a beauty standard, but rather that we are striving to honor God by caring about our health and body. Yes, gluttony is wrong, and by acknowledging that, we are not attacking plus-size people, but rather improving our understanding about sins so we can grow in our spirituality and honor God in our bodies.

Thank you, loves for reading my blog post! Please inbox me for any queries or topics you want me to write about. May God bless ya'll.

Kind Reminder: Jesus loves you!