Many believe that accepting a fat body is like a reverse diet, where people lose self-control, gain weight, glorify their illnesses, and live an “on the edge” lifestyle.
But if we don’t accept that our or others bodies may be different, we would never challenge the attitudes that lead people with non-conforming bodies to be marginalized, stigmatized and excluded. We will never begin to respect them and treat them with dignity. We would still continue to create hierarchies of certain bodies that are “naturally” more beautiful than others.
So why is it important for beauty to be as inclusive as possible? Not because we all have to win a crown and a band. But because inclusive beauty educates the right to exist without having to change who you are.
What is an inclusive beauty?
For a black woman, having her natural hair perceived as beautiful means that her curls are not an indication of her being unprofessional. For a fat person, seeing their belly rolls as beautiful means not having to prove to their employer that they are not lazy or self-restrained. When an older person’s wrinkles are seen as beautiful, it means that they are regarded as a complete human being: sexually, emotionally, intellectually.
Seeing beauty with other eyes is therefore not a question of taste: it is a question of dignity. So we should educate ourselves to the most varied body shapes and sizes. Because in this way we could allow people to look at themselves in a different, more positive way. And this could help you live your body better. But in this way there will also be a balance that will allow the world to no longer be saturated with just one body type. And this can avoid many prejudices, not only towards weight, but also towards ethnicity, ability, age and sexuality.
