How did a radical, inclusive fat liberation movement powered by marginalised people morph into a celebration of straight, white, female hourglass curves? "All bodies were good bodies — fat rolls, cellulite, thick thighs and all. The message was revolutionary to millennials..
. and the revolution could be monetised." Graphic: Clare Meredith ‘I don’t give a f**k about body positivity or body neutrality.
” Actor Busy Philipps delivered this zinger with her characteristic bluntness on the Lovett or Leave It podcast back in March. It’s not so long ago that Philipps was a staunch advocate for the body-positivity movement — so what’s changed? Well, everything. ‘Bopo’ 2024 is a pathetic creature.
A movement that sprung out of radical fat activism has morphed into a shallow likes-and-follows, social media-centred trend that’s anti-feminist, non-intersectional, and — here’s the rub — only representative of, and positive towards, certain kinds of bodies. Which kind of defeats the whole purpose, wouldn’t you say? Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel Stay up to date with all the latest news.
