Body art is a form of expression that involves decorating or modifying the body in various ways. It can include tattoos, piercings, and other forms of body modification. Body art has been a part of human culture for thousands of years, with evidence of tattoos found on ancient mummies and references to body modification in ancient texts.
Developed by Dr. Lindo Bacon, HAES is a separate but aligned framework. It separates health behaviors from weight outcomes.
The practice: You focus on measurable behaviors (blood pressure, sleep quality, energy levels, mobility) instead of the number on the scale. You advocate for respectful medical care regardless of your BMI.
Body positive result: You realize you can improve your metabolic health without losing a single pound. Your worth is not tied to a number.
We cannot talk about body positivity without discussing privilege. For many people, body size is not a choice—it is a result of genetics, medication, disability, poverty (food deserts), trauma, or chronic illness.
The body positivity movement has been criticized (rightly) for being co-opted by thin, white, able-bodied influencers who use the hashtag while selling diet plans.
A true body-positive wellness lifestyle understands that:
Wellness, to be ethical, must be intersectional. It must advocate for healthcare access, affordable produce, safe neighborhoods for walking, and mental health support.
You cannot heal your body image while feeding it toxic imagery every morning. The average person sees 4,000–10,000 advertising images per day—most of them digitally altered.
The practice: Do a hard audit of your social media. Unfollow any account that triggers comparison or shame. Follow plus-size yoga teachers, disabled athletes, body-neutral therapists, and artists who look like real humans (stretch marks, cellulite, scars, bellies).
Body positive result: You recalibrate what "normal" looks like. You realize the airbrushed ideal is a lie.
Let’s be pragmatic. You want to eat vegetables, lift weights, and lower your cholesterol. But every wellness ad screams "BURN FAT." What do you do?
The strategy is "Intention Filtering."
Before trying a new wellness practice, ask three questions:
You can do hot yoga, CrossFit, keto, veganism, or marathon running—but only if you enter the practice as a friend to your body, not an enemy.