For this second week of the women’s empowerment campaign, we decided to focus on body positivity. On Tuesday, the choice was made to put forward two women that, we estimated promoted and honored their body.
Vlasta Delimar is a Croatian performance and visual artist, that is active since the 80’s. Her performances which were considered controversial for some, were in fact the proof that she accepted her body, and considered it as a part of her identity. That is why some did not considered her art as such, the Croatian Association of Visual Artists going as far as to reject her application because she was considered as degrading female dignity. Nakedness did not scare her, she accepted her body for what it was, and it became art. You can see some of her most famous art on this website : http://www.performer-delimar.hr/works.html
Jameela Jamil, is an English actress, model and activist, discovered in the serie ‘’The Good Place’’ for playing the character Tahani Al Jamil. She is also known for being a fierce militant of women’s rights, as such she created the Instagram account I-Weight. A movement dedicated to women, and the celebration of not only their body but personality. She fights against social media’s adverts promoting unhealthy diet products, and adverts promoting the unreachable ideal feminine body. She managed to change Instagram policy’s regarding these adverts in 2019. Now the users of the social media, under 18 no longer have access to them, to protect their mental health. If you want to follow her movement, be sure to check her Instagram accounts.
Society can influence how we perceive ourselves. The media, ads, and every day conversations can unfortunately create a standard that we feel we have to live up to.
As we discussed last week in looking at how we uphold our Personal Bill of Rights, we need to acknowledge we are each unique in our own way. This is true for what we value, our perception of the world, and our perception of ourselves. Strengthening the positive manner in which we view ourselves has a tremendous effect on our self-esteem, confidence, and how we experience the world around us.
Below are tips in what we can do to start to reflect on how we perceive ourselves and either perpetuate unrealistic standards or promote self-love!
Tips:
- Positive Self-Talk: How do you talk to yourself? Are you too hard on yourself? Is this how you would talk to a family member or friend? (Body Image Therapy Center, 2020);
- Reframe Irrational Thoughts:
a) Example from Burn (2015): “Because my body is imperfect, I’m worthless.” Counter with: “Fitting the societal ideal doesn’t make a person good. What makes a person good is their character and how they treat other people. I’m a person of worth even if my body isn’t ideal.” - Limit Toxic Influences
a)Both through media you consume & personal relationships (Burn, 2015)
b)Have people in your life who you can share your concerns and challenges with; - Reflect on What Constructed the Image You Have of Yourself (Body Image Therapy Center, 2020)
- List Your Strengths, Positive Qualities, Talents (Ackerman, 2019);
- Create a Mantra Founded in Self-Love (Ackerman, 2019).
Week 2: Body Positivity
Elina Guesnon & Jordan Crouch
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U drugom tjednu kampanje za osnaživanje žena usredotočile smo se na body positivity (pozitivan stav prema vlastitom tijelu). U utorak smo vam odlučile predstaviti dvije žene koje za koje smatramo da promiču i odaju počast svojim tijelima.
Vlasta Delimar hrvatska je performans i vizualna umjetnica, aktivna od 80-ih. Njezini nastupi, koje neki smatraju kontroverznima, zapravo su dokaz da je prihvatila svoje tijelo i smatrala ga dijelom svog identiteta. Zbog toga neki nisu smatrali njezinu umjetnost kao takvu, čak je Hrvatsko društvo likovnih umjetnika odbilo njezinu prijavnicu za članstvo jer je smatrano kako je njezin izričaj degradirajuć za žensko dostojanstvo. Nagost ju nije uplašila, prihvatila je svoje tijelo onakvim kakvo je i ono je postalo umjetnost. Neke od njenih najpoznatijih radova možete vidjeti na web stranici: http://www.performer-delimar.hr/works.html
Jameela Jamil, engleska je glumica, manekenka i aktivistkinja, poznata po ulozi u seriji “Dobro mjesto” kao Tahani Al Jamil. Poznata je i po tome što je žestoka borkinja za ženska prava, pa je kao takva stvorila Instagram profil I-Weight. Pokret koji je posvećen ženama i slavlju ne samo njihovog tijela, već i osobnosti. Ona se bori protiv oglasa i reklama na društvenim platformama koji promoviraju nezdrave dijetalne proizvode i oglasa koji promoviraju nedostižni ideal ženskog tijela. Uspjela je izmijeniti Instagram pravila u vezi s takvim oglasima u 2019. Sada korisnici društvenih mreža koji su mlađi od 18 godina, više nemaju pristup takvim sadržajima kako bi zaštitilo njihovo mentalno zdravlje. Ako želite pratiti njezin pokret, svakako ju potražite na instagramu.
Društvo može utjecati na to kako percipiramo sami sebe. Mediji, oglasi i svakodnevni razgovori mogu nažalost stvoriti standard za koji smatramo da ga moramo zadovoljiti.
Kako smo prošli tjedan razgovarali o tome kako se (p)održavamo kroz povelju o osobnim pravima, moramo uvažiti i da smo svi jedinstveni na svoj način. To vrijedi za ono što cijenimo, našu percepciju svijeta i našu percepciju sebe. Jačanje pozitivnog pristupa u načinu na koji gledamo sebe ima ogroman učinak na naše samopoštovanje, samopouzdanje i način na koji doživljavamo svijet oko sebe.
Ispod su savjeti što možemo učiniti kako bismo počeli razmišljati o tome kako možemo percipirati sebe ili kako odražavamo nerealne standarde ili promoviramo ljubav prema sebi!
Savjeti:
- Pozitivan razgovor sa sobom: kako razgovarate sa sobom? Jeste li prestrogi prema sebi? Razgovarate li tako s članom obitelji ili prijateljem? (Centar za terapiju slika tijela, 2020.);
- Okvir iracionalnih misli:
a)Primjer iz Burna (2015): “Budući da je moje tijelo nesavršeno, bezvrijedan sam.”
Suprotno: “Prilagođavanje društvenom idealu ne čini osobu dobrom. Ono što čovjeka
čini dobrim je njegov karakter i način na koji postupa s drugim ljudima. Ja sam vrijedna
osoba čak i ako moje tijelo nije idealno. “ - Ograničite toksične utjecaje
a)I kroz medije koje konzumirate i kroz osobne odnose (Burn, 2015)
b)Neka u vašem životu budu prisutni ljudi s kojima možete dijeliti svoje brige i izazove; - Promislite o tome na temelju čega ste izgradili sliku koju imate o sebi (Centar za terapiju slika tijela, 2020.)
- nabrojite svoje prednosti, pozitivne osobine i talente (Ackerman, 2019);
- Stvorite mantru utemeljenu na ljubavi prema sebi (Ackerman, 2019).
References
Ackerman, C (2019). 3 positive body image activities & worksheets. PositivePsychology.com Maastricht, Netherlands. Retrieved from: https://positivepsychology.com/positive-body-image/
Body Image Therapy Center, (2020). Body image & self-esteem. Baltimore, MD. Retrieved from: https://thebodyimagecenter.com/issues-we-treat/body-image-self-esteem/
Burn, S. (2015). Five research-based tips for improving your body image. Many people can address their body image problems with a few simple steps. Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/presence-mind/201501/five-research-based-tips-improving-your-body-image
Schreiber, K. (2016). What does body positivity actually mean? How (and why) the concept continues to be misunderstood. Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, LLC. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-truth-about-exercise-addiction/201608/what-does-body-positivity-actually-mean
Sadržaj ovog članka isključiva je odgovornost Udruge IKS.
