While some of you may read my headline and already think the worst of me, I do mean well, so hear me out. I have consistently struggled with my weight for the entirety of my life. I am the kind of person who can be in the general vicinity of bread and gain five pounds, if you know what I mean. 
I have also experienced ridicule, and was called a “hippo” and assorted juvenile-formulated insults. You may wonder, did these insults make me want to lose weight? My answer, of course.
Weight ridicule or “fat shaming” can make anyone try a series of unhealthy weight loss solutions to appease the masses, whether that be starvation-like fasting or fad diets. Conversely, sugar coating one’s bodily condition can be just as harmful to one’s health. 
I have a bone to pick with you, the body positivity movement. While I adore how you see each unique body as beautiful and deserving of love, I do not love the lack of promotion to better oneself. Each and every one of us has an obligation to better ourselves, not only intellectually, but physically as well.
It is not beneficial to the public to say they should be satisfied or settled in their current situation. If we do not take care of our physical bodies, our quality of life will most surely decrease and our lives could end prematurely. Who wants that? Additionally, why are young boys, equally impressionable by the media, excluded from the conversation?
The Body Positive’s mission is “to end the harmful consequences of negative body image: eating disorders, depression, anxiety, cutting, suicide, substance abuse, and relationship violence,” which is a great goal to have, but it makes no mention of promoting or providing resources for maintaining a healthy weight.
It is possible to have self-love and the desire to better yourself, and I feel this type of attitude is portrayed as impossible.
According to the National Institutes of Health, an obese individual may encounter a life expectancy 14 years shorter than the national average.
It is absolutely horrifying how anyone facing these odds would not want to make a change in their lifestyle, but the body positivity movement has a certain way of making the odds seem to not matter. 
Those 14 years could be spent playing with grandchildren or traveling the world. I, for one, do not wish to be so heavy that I am limited to travel by motorized scooter or become winded at the slightest walking distance.
I am not telling you to eat healthier for the sake of pleasing the masses, but do it for yourself. It has nothing to do with self-loathing but everything to do with your quality of life. So, be good to your body and it will be good to you, and know “skinny” is relative and problematic, but healthy is something you feel. 
All that said, I do not condone judgment of any kind toward those struggling with their weight. There is a blatant line between fearing for someone’s health and saying something with malicious intent. I have encountered both and the way both statements can make one feel is vastly different. Be open to a loved one if they express concern. If someone is honest with you, it means they care.
In addition to the problematic mission statement, males are seemingly absent from the conversation as well. The Body Positive website is full of pictures depicting smiling women, but no men make an appearance. Even though socially acceptable displays of masculinity prevent men from professing their objections to airbrushed male models and fat shaming, they, no doubt, have the same feelings as women. Women have un-edited and celebrated plus-sized models, but what do men have? 
Thus, not only is this movement problematic in the sense that it can promote poor health, but it is seemingly gender exclusive as well. I do believe the body positivity movement, in parts, is valuable. However, like many other movements and beliefs, it can be taken all too literally. Ultimately, love yourself and others, and push yourself to be the happiest and healthiest possible; you will not regret it.