What is Body Positivity? – The Hermoza Perspective

What is Body Positivity? – The Hermoza Perspective

Hermoza was founded on the principle that the true beauty possessed within shines without when a woman is living her best life. Our aim has always been to help you find, define, and protect that iconic life so you can celebrate the freedom of creating your own moments and memories.

How that appears to our Hermozas is distinctive and we couldn’t be happier to affirm each of them. A woman’s vision of beauty isn’t always so cut and dried for everyone. Some of our journeys to seeking our iconic selves have been complicated and are still quite complex. As women struggle to see themselves represented in media, it raises the question of whether standards not visible in media possess value and worth. It’s challenging to feel positive about your sense of self if you have come to feel that self is unwelcome which naturally leads to feelings of isolation.

What Does Body Positivity Mean?

Finding a body positivity definition is challenging when our world is constantly changing. We know the movement has helped generate real conversations around marginalized and silenced voices and has highlighted avenues of acceptance for body types that are typically excluded.

Contemporary messaging and imagery in media reinforce ideal shapes, sizes, or appearances because it is of some benefit to their bottom line. Stakeholders in said messages and imagery authorize intentional brand development spread through specific content to target audiences. In the process, some voices, narratives, experiences, and lives are overlooked, underrepresented, or misrepresented to curate and protect positions, values, and attitudes surrounding products, services, organizations, and institutions.

In so doing, widespread misconceptions are consumed, creating stereotypes and judgments that impact and influence the decisions target audiences make. This is not news to us. We know that big businesses are interested in making the greatest profit from their products. What we came to understand in the past fifteen years or so is that the cost of some messaging and imagery is destructive and problematic, rendering some voices and appearances to go unacknowledged and harmed.

Body positivity isn’t a conditional experience. It isn’t exclusive. It is a holistic approach to re-examining and affirming your concept of your whole self and determining your own sense of authentic value and worth from your findings. This reflective process is difficult for most as, let’s be real here, most of us weren’t taught how to do this. We were, however, taught how to listen to, watch, and read external cues to determine if we were thinking and behaving appropriately. This is one of the basic structures of learning and teaching, but without discernment and awareness, this process too becomes problematic.

The body positivity movement has had a bad rap because of the misconceptions surrounding its messaging. The movement doesn’t suggest you should live however you like and overlook harmful effects and consequences. It offers that life is meant to be lived well, but with consideration for thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are healthy and positive for your body.

How Do I Show Up for the Body Positive Movement?

If you are never there to affirm yourself, you run the risk of expecting the world to do it for you and it will likely disappoint.

One way of continuing your investigation into the body positivity movement is to do a quick inventory of your own perceptions, perspectives, and privileges to determine how body positivity shows up in your life.

For the body positivity movement, history has shown that amplified voices, informed by lived experiences, coming from connective communities are most effective at creating lasting change. While alliance is supportive, it is not as essential as developing truthful messages with the intention of confirming and defining positive narratives that are clear and authentic for oneself. These new narratives can then guide others to interactions that serve rather than reduce or destroy.

For many Hermozas, the changes our bodies experience might come at times where we feel least prepared. Body positivity suggests that acceptance of these shifts can be encouraged and better supported by media and communities that maintain healthier and more realistic standards for us.

Internalizing dissatisfaction about one’s body is hardly proactive and rarely evokes feelings of value or worth, so why do we do it so much? Body positivity involves creating proactive, productive, and practical approaches to eating well, exercising thoughtfully, dressing consciously, taking preventative health measures (instead of being reactionary), and investing in other forms of self-care and self-love that are sustainable and effective.

Systemically, canceling shame and discrimination that has been culturally cemented by unrealistic beauty standards has been effective. Change your language. Amplify voices that are often muted when asking others to rethink and redirect energies and conversations that aren’t helpful. Insist on being a part of conversations and experiences that enable you to develop healthy and accurate body and self-images. Set consistent boundaries matched with realistic expectations. These are plans and actions that could support any healthy behavior.

Beauty and body type are not mutually exclusive. Every person who strives to be thin and fit does not always secure happiness. Life is complicated and there are very few absolutes. We all know the abundance of elements that factor into genuine satisfaction with one’s life.

The body positivity movement is an opportunity for communities to generate conversations to revisit and redefine the standards and expectations for how we see and hear each other. Shifting our perceptions to establish that body image is not the end-all-be-all for self-image will help cultivate an awareness of overall wellness, including emotional, physical, and spiritual states of being.

Shame and guilt are overwhelming deterrents in any situation. The body positivity movement has called attention to misconceptions and unhealthy associations with thinness that equates to success, beauty, and esteem. If shame and guilt are more present than the celebration and appreciation of your presence or achievements, there are serious effects on one’s mental health and wellness and a paradigm shift is recommended. But, that’s easy for anyone to say, especially if they are living outside the situations, communities, or mindsets where harmful thinking and messaging exists and is perpetuated.

The best course of action is to consider problematic and conflicting thoughts, feelings, or reactions that limit and hinder positive narratives from developing. Whether internal or external, messages that we program in ourselves are performed and communicated for the benefit (or detriment) of others. If we are cautious about how we present ourselves and our values to others, it gets easier to cultivate spaces where we are able to develop consciousness and strength from our character, from our service to others, and from the dignity we possess. 

How Is Hermoza Taking Part in the Body Positivity Movement?

We have always believed that all bodies are beautiful, and we have strived to encourage women to measure their worth by the quality of their character and in the depths of their hearts. Our swimsuits and resort wear have never been designed to hide flaws, but to support your comfort and confidence while you wear heirloom-quality pieces that enable you to express your impeccable style.

After our initial launch, we made our swimwear available in extended sizes to support women in wearing swimsuits that offer a flattering, comfortable fit. Shapewear is integrated into the design process of our swimsuits, but not with the intention of restricting or reshaping your fabulous figure. Our aesthetic favors your natural form because we have always celebrated you and the skin you are in now, not the body or shape you want in some future vision of yourself. We want you to know we’ve got you covered especially if you feel the need to adjust your own body expectation to feel more positive and accepting of your own body.

From the get-go, you’ve been on our minds as we design and construct swimsuits and resort wear to meet and elevate your standards. The cornerstone of our brand is built on the belief that modest swimwear can and should always be stylish. We were excited to design several post-baby swimsuits to celebrate the beauty and grace of motherhood. Our distinctive collections enable you to shop through features and shapewear that comfortably enhance and elevate your shape so you aren’t convinced by false narratives that you have to bare it all to be beautiful. We got you covered if you are looking for more than just “bathing suits for pear-shaped bodies” because we know there is more to you than your silhouette.

Hermoza’s swimsuits and resort wear celebrate your femininity, help you elevate your expectations, and offers a flattering fit that celebrates you and your iconic life and style. Your self-worth is not tied up in what you wear, it’s in your ability to be present in the moment, to practice gratitude, to relish and relax in experiences, to cultivate healthy relationships that nurture and nourish your spirit, and to set and achieve meaningful goals.

Articles on body positivity will describe and explain the tireless work activists have invested in to redirect the focus on women’s bodies and the perceptions of self-worth. You can read how essential it is for all of us to expand the discussion to include not just women of diverse sizes and shapes, but of all races, ethnicities, and abilities. Hermoza is proud to have used a variety of models in all different ages, shapes sizes and color and look forward to opportunities to work with creative, design, marketing, and press teams that are equally diverse. We will continue to learn, listen, and lean in to deliver the company and collections that all our Hermozas deserve.

 

TL;DR – The body positivity movement aims to redirect, redefine, and inform society of the growing need for healthier messaging and imagery surrounding perceptions of beauty. You can join the effort by:

  1. Resisting instances of discrimination that reinforce unrealistic and unhealthy standards, especially if they unfairly misrepresent and harm any social demographic.
  2. Affirming your own self-value and self-worth as it comes from your acts of service to others, in your commitment to your own health and wellness, and in your presence and investment in your character as a strong, brilliant, bold, confident Hermoza.
  3. Assisting other women in their journeys of self-evaluation and self-discovery. The work of the body positivity movement is only as effective as the women and allies who are dedicated to supporting and empowering other women.
  4. Amplifying voices that have been systemically been marginalized, silenced, and excluded. Globally, we must do better in our efforts to educate and protect women. Read, share, repost, discuss, and invite others to take the opportunity to be more inclusive and compassionate.

For more information, feeds, and to read additional body positivity articles, visit:

On IG:

  • @dimaayad – Fashion house based in UAE, committed to “celebrating the female form”
  • @visionarywomen – dedicated to “elevating women and girls everywhere by creating a forum for connection and dialogue with the world’s greatest thinkers”
  • @messinabottle – merch featuring impactful “MESSages to start important conversations”
  • @positivelypresent – original artwork by Dani DiPirro designed to inform, uplift, and center helpful thoughts and narratives
  • @myselflovesupply – health + wellness website and feed promoting positive thinking and self-care
  • @shinetext – “#1 Black-owned self-care app” that provides “daily support for your stress and anxiety”

 

Articles, Excerpts, + Continued Conversations:

 

Besos, Hermoza

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