10 body -positive influencing factors that will follow 2021

Hello everyone, Aisha Nash here, and today I would like to introduce you to my favorite body positive influencers via Instagram...

But first a little bit about body positive and where the term comes from. Strangely enough, this has nothing to do with self -love. There are two completely different concepts. Self -love is the concept of loving and accepting yourself as they are. This is a big goal that you have to work towards, while body positivity is a whole movement based on the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of body type or appearance.

Body positivity is a social movement that was first coined in the 1960s. However, some researchers have noted that the movement emerged much earlier from the Victorian period with the Victorian Dress Reform Movement. This movement was about putting an end to women having to alter their appearance through corsets, which led to negative health outcomes. There was an outcry across Europe for the acceptance of female body types.

In the 1960s, the first wave of the Body Positive Movement was coined to describe the protests that occurred. These protests were about the acceptance of fat people. People starting to write about fat discrimination and weight stigma and how it affected their lives in every way, from finding clothes that fit to being discriminated against by medical professionals to being denied jobs because of their body type. This inspired the creation of the National Association for Promoting Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) in the United States.

The NAAFA wanted to highlight the differences between weight and health and people who live in fat bodies that were discriminated against due to what was discriminated against. Inspired by this work, the treatment model "Health for every size" was accepted and examined. The health and every size model focuses on health -promoting behaviors that are not related to weight loss, especially.

The second wave of the body positivity movement took place in the 1990s, and we are currently living in the third wave of the movement, which has become much more accessible due to social media activists and large companies profiting from the movement. Even Mattel, the makers of Barbie, released a body positive line of Barbie dolls called Fashionistas.

With this in mind, I wanted to introduce you to my current favorite body positive influencers and activists. These people uphold the celebration of all bodies and truly embody the idea that body positivity is so much more than quippy self-love quotes and toxic positivity. Here goes in no particular order:

I adore this woman and I honestly think she should become a household name. Within the London yoga scene, this woman championed BIPOC yoga teachers in all major yoga studios. Now that she's based in LA, she spends her time highlighting issues surrounding race, cultural appropriation, and how yoga truly is for all bodies.

Nyome is a model activist after photos of her have been constantly censored by Instagram. With the help of Gina Martin to hold Instagram for her guidelines, she led a campaign (#iwanttoseenyome) to be folded into, the people who live in fat bodies unfair. So far, Nyome has caused real changes in social media and has even been presented in the Vogue magazine.

Virgie is a badass activist. Writer and wears many hats. On her podcast 'Rebel Eater's Club' she talks about the reality of living in a fat body and has written two incredible books, one for adults and one for teenagers. After reading both, I really wish I had her sage advice and wisdom on my side when I was a teenager feeling like I didn't fit in as a brown-skinned person.

Artika, known as Arti Online, is a powerhouse of an individual and has created an amazing community through the use of Instagram and Patreon. She speaks candidly about self-love, body positivity, racism, and everything in between. She also spends a lot of time advocating for broader representation and accessibility in the fitness industry.

Pixie co-hosts a podcast called “In Bad Taste,” which is all about highlighting and correcting the pseudoscience offered in so-called wellness documentaries. If that weren't enough, this nutritionist is a reformed "wellness wanker" and is now training to be a psychotherapist. I really recommend if you want to learn more about how our habits have changed with the advent of social media, reading her book 'The Insta-Food Diet' - for those wondering, it's not a diet book.

Leila is magic in person. I know that sounds like exaggeration, but she even calls herself a priestess, so I think it's okay to call her magically. There are some yoga teachers who want to be their boyfriend out close, and then there are some who change their lives through their existence. Because in the way you live and go, model a lifestyle that you have never thought of. A kind of being soft and strong at the same time. A way of existing in this modern world and still living in the cycles of nature. From pure frustration, Leila called on the world to create Yogis of Color in London, and because of this campaign, so many beautiful room circles were created, so many distant dreams became real companies.

Jade is the woman who allowed me to regain the term body positive. This term was abused by companies and wellness experts for a long time, and to fight this, Jade carried out an amazing campaign called #Reclaimingbopo. Jade is an artist, lawyer for mental health and life consultant who has created an amazing community with events and workshops to build up a better relationship with our body via Facebook.

I love this woman. She is fascinating, full of charisma and has created a platform called Yogaforeveryone.tv where she makes yoga accessible and affordable for every body and everyone. As a yoga teacher, this woman inspires me every day to make my offerings more accessible and she is simply the best person ever - follow her and I guarantee you will feel the same way I do.

Molly is a writer, speaker and activist and is loud to change the advertising for diets and products for weight loss in children and adolescents. She organizes workshops for parents to find out about the upbringing of Body Happy children, and has just announced her new book (in which I am quoted and that I look forward to)!

Marybeth founded disabled girls who lift, the podcast and the platform, which highlight the unpleasant conversations and truths, which we all have to think about in terms of fitness industry and how inaccessible it is for people with disabilities. Marybeth has found that strength training is an astonishing source of joy and authorization, and wants the LGBTQ + community benefit from its advantages.

If there are great people you think I missed from this list, please get in touch @theaishanash on Instagram. I've gone through so many books during lockdown that I'm always grateful for more reading recommendations!