Who is the Body Positivity Movement Leaving Behind?

If you Google body positive, most of the images show white folks — even the cartoons. When spreading the message of body positivity, we have to be sure that we are including the voices of people of color. As a fat Black woman, this piece for me is very important. When fighting against body terrorism and oppression, we have to address racism and its impact on people’s self-esteem and body image.

Pretty Hurts: The Impact of Beauty Standards

here are so many stereotypes and societal expectations surrounding beauty and intelligence – expectations that make people believe that a beautiful person cannot be intelligent and that intelligent people aren’t attractive. Growing up, because I was a straight-A student, no one expected me to wear stylish clothes or be attractive in general.

I was a fat, dark-skinned black girl with a kinky hair texture, and if I weren’t smart, I wouldn’t have had much going for me in the eyes of most folks. I felt like the whole world was telling me that, because my body was neither desired nor wanted, my only contribution to society could be through my academic successes.

Catfish: Queer and Trans Identity on Television and the Internet

Online chat rooms provided spaces in which I felt super comfortable talking to strangers. It wasn’t awkward to start conversations. I could talk to multiple people at the same time. It was easy to find people with similar interests. And ending conversations wasn’t awkward. All I had to do was type g2g.

Cuidarse a uno mismo y el trabajo social

Si le preguntases a mi madre o a mi novia cuándo hice algo equivocado, te dirán algo como, “Bueno, conociendo a Quita, ella nunca hace nada equivocado”. Pero incluso la Princesa de la Perfección tiene que admitir cuándo se equivoca.

Worthy of Pleasure: Sex Beyond Consent

I felt like sex was as great as it could be — until I had an honest conversation with a sexual partner. One night, as we began the process of finding undergarments under bed sheets and putting our clothes back on, they asked, “How was it for you?”

page 1 2