The Importance of Body Diversity on Your Social Feed

Social media plays a significant role in influencing our perceptions of beauty, health, and self-worth. While these platforms can offer inspiration and community, they can also create unrealistic and unattainable beauty standards. 

One way to encourage a healthier self-image is by embracing body diversity on your social media feed. Body diversity means representing a range of body shapes, sizes, abilities, and appearances. It's about celebrating all forms of beauty. Seeing the same body types and perfect images can distort our perception of beauty and make us feel inadequate.

Here's why it matters and how it can positively impact your life.

1. Reduces Negative Self-Comparison

When your social media feed is filled with ‘ideal’ body types, it can lead to constant self-comparison and feelings of inadequacy. You can reduce negative self-comparison by following accounts representing diverse body shapes, sizes, abilities and appearances. This shift helps you see beauty in all forms and reminds you that all types of bodies walk our planet!

2. Promotes Body Appreciation

Exposure to body diversity promotes body appreciation. Seeing people confidently embrace their natural bodies, regardless of societal standards, can inspire you to do the same. It encourages a mindset that all bodies are worthy of love and respect, including your own. Exposure to diverse bodies can improve self-esteem, promote body neutrality, and help us appreciate our own unique beauty.

3. Challenges Stereotypes and Biases

Following diverse accounts helps challenge ingrained stereotypes and biases about what is considered beautiful or healthy. It enables you to see that thin ≠ health. It broadens your understanding and acceptance of different body types, opening your world to a more inclusive perspective. This benefits your perception of yourself and encourages a mindset of acceptance and less judgment.

4. Improves Mental Health

Constant exposure to unrealistic beauty standards can contribute to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Sadly, I experience this in the teens I coach, week in and week out. Diversifying your feed with realistic and varied body representations can alleviate some of these pressures and help bring perspective to what is ‘normal’ (by normal, I mean not everyone in your everyday life is thin).

5. Empowers and Inspires

Seeing a range of body types represented on your feed in empowering and inspiring ways can motivate you to appreciate and celebrate your body. It can also encourage you to pursue activities and hobbies you might have felt reluctant to due to internalising societal standards.

6. Creates a Supportive Community

Following and engaging with accounts that promote body diversity helps build a supportive online community. These communities can offer encouragement, share experiences, and provide valuable body positivity and self-care resources. Being part of such a community can make you feel less isolated in your journey toward self-acceptance.

How to Create a Diverse Feed

• Seek Out and Follow Diverse Accounts: Seek out and follow influencers, brands, and individuals representing various body types, ethnicities, abilities, and styles.

• Unfollow Negative Influences: Unfollow accounts that make you feel bad about your body or promote unrealistic body and beauty standards.

• Engage with Positive, Diverse Content: Like, comment, and share posts celebrating body diversity. Your engagement can help these messages reach a wider audience.

• Share Your Journey: Be part of the movement by sharing your experiences and stories about body appreciation and diversity.

Embracing body diversity on your social media feed is a powerful step towards manifesting a healthier self-image. By adapting your feed to celebrate all forms of beauty, you can transform your relationship with your body. 

If you would like guidance on which accounts to follow, comment on this blog or email me, and I’ll send you lots of fabulous inspiration!