Body positivity: Why body acceptance is important in the workplace

📚 Read more: Unlocking Your Inner Power: A Guide on Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem

 

5 Tips to Cultivate Body Positivity in Your Company

 

One’s own body weight is a personal issue. However, there is a lot of discussion about it in society (diet culture), and supposedly good advice is given. You can already do a lot yourself to cultivate body positivity in your company. Psychologist Judith Klenter gives the following tips:

 

1. Stop Commenting on the Body of Others

 

Wow, it’s great how much weight you’ve lost! It sounds well-intentioned at first, but it can have the opposite effect. “This is something that people with eating disorders often hear when they are at their unhealthiest and then internalise,” says Klenter. Many come to the conclusion that they only get compliments when they are thin – a vicious circle.

 

2. Avoid comments about the eating habits of others

 

You’re really digging in today! What may be meant as a joke at lunch can also have a negative impact on others’ eating behaviour or imply that they should eat less because of their weight. Don’t comment on other people’s eating behaviour and only talk about it if they bring it up themselves.

 

3. Ensure that diet culture does not become part of the corporate culture.

 

I still have to earn my lunch. Watch out for the biscuits, they go straight to your hips! Avoid comments that are typical of diet culture. Even if you refer them to yourself, you might still be offending and (unintentionally) excluding people who are overweight. “If the work environment is toxic for them, they won’t want to stay,” Klenter concludes.

 

4. Actively approach people about misconduct

 

Are you there when others make fun of your colleagues’ body weight or make negative comments about it? Then actively address the person about it. In this way, you can help to ensure that bullying is not tolerated in the company and promote acceptance of all bodies in the work environment.

 

5. Time for self-reflection!

 

Have you felt caught out by some of the comments or thought “Oh dear, I must have said that before too”? Not to worry – some self-reflection might help. Think about whether you have internalised negative stereotypes about overweight people (e.g., “overweight people are lazy and unhealthy”). What is your relationship with your own body? Do you love it or are you grateful for all the great things you can do because of it? If the answer is no, don’t worry – you can always develop and improve your own body image. This will also help you accept others!

 

💝 Practice self-love: Mindfulness meditation for self-love (15 min)

 

How to develop a better body image

 

A positive body image is essential for a healthy and successful life. If you stand behind your body, you will automatically have more confidence in yourself. You can consider these points to improve your body image:

• Make sure the basics are right (enough sleep, healthy diet, enough physical activity).
• Exercise because it’s fun, not because it’s punishment. Try several sports until you find something that suits you.
• Practice mindfulness.
• Engage with the concept of Body Neutrality. “Body Neutrality is about what our bodies do for us, rather than having a focus on how they look,” says Klenter.