Social IssuesJUL 21, 2021

"5 Reasons 'Body Positivity' Is Evil" - Guy Starts A Discussion About The Toxicity Of The Body Positivity Movement

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Jonas Grinevičius

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Body positivity is a touchy topic, even to this very day. While some fully embrace it for helping people accept who they are with all of their flaws, others are more careful about voicing their support because they believe that some use it as an excuse for unhealthy habits. Meanwhile, fitness expert Jack Bly sparked a bit of internet drama over on Twitter after sharing his 5 reasons why he believes that body positivity is ‘evil.’

Like you could have expected, this approach made quite a few people angry while others stood in support of Jack’s views. Have a read through his arguments below and let us know in the comments what you think of them, dear Pandas.

In reality, body positivity and fitness are very sticky and nuanced topics. They aren’t as black and white as people would prefer to paint them, whatever their views on the subject. Each individual case and the small details matter a lot. For instance, a personal trainer I’d spoken to earlier pointed out that body positivity greatly depends on the context of the individual and the movement can be “both extremely helpful and potentially harmful.”

Meanwhile, The Guardian notes that we need to have those unpleasant conversations about weight and health instead of “leaping straight to the friendly hashtag, complete with women detailing their own blessed journeys towards inner beauty.” Uncomfortable? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.

I reached out to Jack and he was kind enough to go in-depth about the thread and his views on body positivity. "When it comes to TRUE body positivity, I think it can be a good belief system for things regarding our appearance that may be out of our control," he told Bored Panda, pointing out some examples where it works such as in the case of burn victims, people with disabilities, etc.

"But, it is a terrible belief system when it comes to things in your control," he noted that, in his opinion, this doesn't work with obesity. "Like I mentioned in my thread, a lot of misinformation has been thrown around due to this which is extremely detrimental to everyone."

Jack shared the reasons why he personally believes that the body positivity movement is 'evil'

Image credits: TheJackBly

Image credits: TheJackBly

Image credits: TheJackBly

Image credits: TheJackBly

Image credits: TheJackBly

Image credits: TheJackBly

Image credits: TheJackBly

Jack told Bored Panda that, overall, he received "an OVERWHELMING amount of support" that far outweighed any criticism that he got.

I wanted to get Jack's take on what we should do if we're looking to improve our level of fitness but we're constantly finding ourselves without much energy to see things through.

"If you’re someone who is SERIOUS about making a permanent body transformation but feels like you’ve tried everything before, don’t want to do another miserable diet, or don’t have much time to commit... you need to invest in a coach," he put it simply that the support of a professional helps immensely.

"Countless studies show the power of accountability when it comes to achieving any goal. And we know that where we invest our time & money reveal our true priorities. If you want an area to improve you MUST invest your resources there. And, just know that EVERYONE is capable of achieving the body they can be proud of."

He added: "You can do this!!!"

There are plenty of perspectives on body positivity even among professionals. It's a topic full of nuance

Earlier, personal trainer and physiotherapist Paulius Lipskis explained to me that we have to be completely honest about ourselves, our health, and our fitness levels.

“Somebody could potentially use the body positivity movement as an excuse for their unhealthy habits, however, if the movement encourages you to accept and embrace yourself, it’s something that you should strive to follow,” he told Bored Panda during an earlier interview.

“It’s also a problem if you view healthy living as something that you’re forced to do. If you’re constantly angry, tired, and you’re low on energy—it’s an issue,” the personal trainer said.

According to trainer Paulius, you can’t force someone to want to change; their desire to change their lifestyle must come from within.

“Usually, our unhealthy habits are a result of constant stress and our behavior that’s meant to protect us from it. If we would have an honest chat with ourselves, we’d clearly see that we’re dissatisfied with ourselves only when we feel that we’re using our bad habits to cover our emotions,” the fitness expert said.

“However, if we accept that we’re not perfect, we’re not pressured to change. That’s when you start developing a natural desire and curiosity to find out what the best possible version of you is.”

Meanwhile, Eva Wiseman shared in an article on The Guardian that the body positivity movement increases the pressure and guilt that overweight people feel. In her opinion, we’re better off finding peace with our bodies instead of loving ourselves as we are.

“‘Everybody’s beautiful, and all bodies are perfect!’ said 2019, to a small murmur from those pointing out that the workplace, Tinder, fashion, and health professionals disagree. The effect, then, was a feeling of isolation, and a doubling of guilt. Guilt both for living in a body that doesn’t fit and for wanting to change it,” Wiseman said that we ought to move toward body neutrality, not positivity.