What body positivity looks like in real life

Lilly Gidney
Apr 27
2 min read

Body positivity is something often shown to be loud, confident and so effortless. The kind of thing that looks like never questioning yourself, always feeling comfortable and always being sure. But in reality, it never works like that.

There's never a moment where body positivity just clicks, it doesn't just come to you on a random Friday or whenever you're struggling the most. It is often something that happens so gradually, you don't even realise your mindset has changed.

Body positivity will also dip in and out on different days, especially as a woman experiencing a monthly cycle - no two days are the same!

When it shows up in small ways

Body positivity, or even body neutrality day-to-day, is usually made up of small decisions.

It's when you decide to wear something truly because you like it and not just because it's flattering or trendy. It's also when you catch yourself in the mirror and not immediately picking something apart. It will also show up when you don't even realise it and may not even think that it is body positivity. It can even be as simple as not checking your reflection every time you walk past a mirror, or not opening your camera just to see how you look.

None of these things will feel particularly big in the moment, but they do add up. They create a different relationship with your body that isn’t based on constantly evaluating it.

When you stop constantly criticising yourself, when getting dressed in the morning, in photos or even comparing yourself to friends and family, life feels a bit less stressful and fashion becomes a lot more enjoyable. It also helps you forget about the feelings attached to your body and you can finally start seeing it for what it is - not a thing to fix or control but something that carries you through your whole life, something that exists beyond how it looks.

Some days are easier than others

The part that doesn’t really get spoken about as much is that body positivity is not consistent and it isn't something you can just switch on or off.

There are still days where nothing is working and you feel uncomfortable no matter what - where clothes don’t sit how you want them to, or where you feel more aware of yourself than usual. And body positivity doesn’t mean those days disappear. They may just become less frequent but we're all still human, so it can never fully stay away.

Instead of trying to fix everything, it becomes more about letting those days exist without reacting too much to them. Not turning them into something bigger, or letting them define how you feel overall.

I think that’s what it actually looks like in practice. Not constant confidence, but instead a quieter type of acceptance and letting your body just be part of your day, not just the focus of it.

Because maybe body positivity isn’t about feeling amazing all the time. Maybe it’s just about getting to a point where you don’t have to think about it quite so much.

In the end, nothing about your body has to change - just the way you think about it.