Why People Are Angry This #Fitspo Blogger Called Her New Book 'Body Positive'

Made in Chelsea's @LouiseAThompson will share her year-long journey to finding a new approach to fitness and food in a new book: https://t.co/saVFS88Baj pic.twitter.com/XQ8hA6gOuj

— The Bookseller (@thebookseller) November 29, 2017

If you stopped watching Made In Chelsea years ago, you probably know Louise Thompson as a champagne-popping party girl who was always going through some kind of relationship drama. These days, however, she prefers to be known as a paid-up member of the #wellness community.

As a reality star who frequently 'grams about her workouts and #cleaneating, who's also one half of a #fitspo couple with her PT boyfriend, Ryan Libbey, a book deal was the next obvious step. But many people have taken issue with the route Thompson has gone down with her debut tome.

"Body Positive", out in May next year, is a recipe and fitness book about Thompson's year-long journey from – her words – "an anxiety-ridden party girl, battling with mental health and an unhealthy relationship with eating," to a wellness guru with "new levels of happiness, calm, direction and self-love," according to The Bookseller.

🤭I am SO EXCITED to announce that I’ll be bringing out my first book in May next year !!!! 📚📖 After a lot of deliberation I have decided to call my book ‘Body Positive’ because I think this best reflects the changes that I have made to my life and my mind and body over the past few years. You guys know how obsessed I am with cooking and eating (and training) .... sooooo I will be including my favourite 15 minute home workouts (manageable - im really impatient), WITH some delicious recipes and insider scoop (my tips) to help you guys transform your approach to fitness and food. I want everyone to be able to make changes to build a strong body and mind to be proud of. And I always get soooo many requests from you guys for my workout regime/food diary so I thought it would be a no brainer. As many of you have followed my journey over the past 8 years 📺 you know I haven’t always shown myself a lot of love or respect and I CERTAINLY never had a flat tummy. I wasn’t particularly happy but now I am and I want to share my own personal journey and all the ups and downs with you. 🔑🔐 I’m currently locking myself away writing it so if there’s anything you desperately want me to include please comment below or write to me. 🤓

A post shared by Louise Thompson (@louise.thompson) on Nov 27, 2017 at 12:57am PST

The aim, apparently, is "to inspire readers to make lasting changes, break the cycle of self-destructive habits and build a strong body and positive mind to be proud of". So far, so predictable. Books like this are two a penny these days.

But what really got people hot under the collar was the title because, as you may well know, the phrase "body positive" was originally coined to promote a forgiving attitude to our bodies and embrace a more diverse array of body types than the slim, white ones we're used to seeing in the media. It doesn't mean pursuing ideals of bodily "perfection".

On the one hand, it makes logical sense to call a book about one woman's journey towards loving her body "Body Positive". On the other hand, it's simply disingenuous to borrow an existing phrase to flog something promoting a message that completely contradicts its original meaning.

This detail didn't go unnoticed among many people on Twitter, who responded accordingly.

the body positivity movement grew out of a need to see bodies other than what you seen in ads - ie thin, white and with characteristics the mainstream dubs attractive

— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) November 29, 2017

Also the term ‘body positive’ is about loving and appreciating your NATURAL body. NOT sculpting it into something unattainable

— Eve Simmons (@EveSimmns) November 29, 2017

This is utter bullshit and just another moment in the ongoing abuse of the body positive movement for commercial gain https://t.co/gJ8pyhvoQG

— Roisin O'Connor (@Roisin_OConnor) November 29, 2017

This might help you understand. Your cover photo represents everything the diet industry promotes and the self hatred it causes. pic.twitter.com/P5H6w5HQed

— kara (@KaraKaravuitton) November 29, 2017

Plus-size fashion blogger and writer Stephanie Yeboah, in particular, helped to explain what was wrong with Thompson's publisher, Yellow Kite, choosing the phrase to sell a book encouraging people to change their bodies so that they adhere to prevailing standards of beauty.

"Its aim is "to inspire readers to make lasting changes, break the cycle of self-destructive habits and build a strong body and positive mind to be proud of"."

This book is essentially a diet and workout book. This is what is wrong with society classing 'BoPo' as mainstream.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

Body positivity is/was a movement that was created to celebrate bodies that were seen as outside of what is conventionally attractive. More specifically: fat bodies.

Body positivity is NOT about celebrating the diet industry.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

It's extremely annoying. People who fall within what society considers beautiful have hijacked yet another movement and have moulded it to fit their diet industry agenda.

I'm so sick of it. BoPo was never supposed to stand for this. The absolute NERVE.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

Body Positivity is born from the fat acceptance movement, Fat acceptance is specifically political and centered on equal rights, representation, and treatment for fat people.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

Eventually as body positivity picked up steam and took on a secondary messaging that “all bodies are beautiful".

Once a movement like this hits the mainstream, it runs the risk of being diluted – or worse, capitalised upon – and that’s exactly what’s happened to body positivity.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

The actual intention of body positivity is not “any action that makes you feel positive about your body.” The intention is size acceptance. What about this book screams 'size acceptance'?

It's just another way for people to make money off the marginalised.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

This is why I refer to what I believe in as 'fat positivity', because I don't know how I can be any clearer about what needs to be highlighted/celebrated.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

Body positivity is trash because of issues like this.

The movement has forgotten about the very bodies it was created to protect.

There's now a new standard of beauty within body positivity and it makes me sick.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

In closing:

-Screw the book
-Screw the diet industry
-Screw standards of beauty
-Screw your fucking curvysexilicious
-Screw 'drop the plus'
-Screw body positivity pic.twitter.com/N6VZ8YmrZD

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

Can we not have our own safe spaces where we can celebrate what makes us unique, without smaller/slimmer people infiltrating it and trying to turn it into something else?

This isn't FOR YOU.

— Stephanie Yeboah (@NerdAboutTown) November 29, 2017

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