Body Positive

Thebodypositive is a website dedicated to teaching people to "move past shame, self-judgment, and isolation, and into the knowledge that every body is the 'perfect body.'" Body positivity is a social movement encouraging everyone to embrace whatever they look like because it's fine, it's just fine. The idea is to avoid getting hooked into unrealistic beauty standards and just ... love yourself. There is even a National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) urging self-acceptance at all sizes. Stop the shaming! Just embrace yourself!

Given a world driven by bizarre standards of appearance and the apparent inability to look for character rather than appearance, I get it. Too many people are insulting too many people over stupid, stupid things. Really? She's not skinny enough? Really, she doesn't conform to a nonsensical notion of what "beauty" ought to be? You hear stories out of Hollywood where an attractive actor is told to lose weight because she's not thin enough yet and you just scratch your head. What's wrong with these people??! I see the problem. It's just that I'm not sure "Embrace yourself" is the best answer. They tell us that America is suffering from an obesity epidemic. While a person's value is not determined by their appearance, is it wise to say, "Embrace that physical condition likely to kill you young!"?

But, look, I'm not really thinking here about "body positive." That's one issue. I'm more concerned about the "embrace yourself" message being broadcast all over the world where the self you are encouraged to embrace is a sinful being living on sensual lusts, sexual immorality, greed, selfishness, hate -- you know, the stuff Scripture says leads to death. And not merely physical death like obesity might do. Eternal death. We are told over and over "Don't judge" by which they mean, "Let us embrace our sin with joy!!" And that cannot end well.

It may be that I'm not as ugly as I think I am. It may well be that I'm not thinking straight about my appearance or worth. I suspect that's a real problem. "Feel better" is not the right answer. It is certainly true that I am not the follower of Christ I want to be. "Embrace your sin" is the absolutely wrong answer there. So go ahead. Speak the truth in love. I need to know if I'm overweight and maybe some tips on how to lose it. I need to know if there are sins in my life I don't see and maybe some help in overcoming them. But don't tell me, "Embrace yourself" when the self I'm embracing will get me killed, physically or otherwise. Don't try to convert me to "body positive" or "spirit positive" when it's not the truth. I'd much rather deal with the problem than simply feel better about myself.