Topic: The Body Positive

The Body Debate: Can A Woman Be Too Buff?

The Body Debate: Can A Woman Be Too Buff?

Yesterday, Good Morning America ran a segment debating the merits of women who have defined biceps, washboard abs and sculpted legs, wondering if it’s a “bad look” for us to be “too toned.” It started with Cameron Diaz‘s bulging muscles, broad shoulders and rock-hard physique. And Kelly Ripa, Madonna and Serena Williams’ muscular bodies have also sparked controversy and discussion over whether such physiques can still be considered feminine and sexy. And apparently, some critics say these women need to lay off the weights and “tone it down.” We say these critics need to shut up. More »

The Body Positive: 12 Decades of The Ideal Female Body

The Body Positive: 12 Decades of The Ideal Female Body

This week has been The Body Positive week at Blisstree, and we’ve been exploring an oft-ignored aspect of health and wellness: Body image. While we’ve done our best to get you thinking outside of the box when it comes to beauty standards and physical judgement, we know as well as you do that it’s easier said than done. Just when we’re feeling good about ourselves, it seems there’s another Hot Young Actress or Svelte Supermodel ready to knock down our self-esteem. But we’d like to make a closing argument when it comes to judging your body against current trends and ideals: Like everything else, this too shall pass. And a look at the past 12 decades of the ideal female body prove it. More »

The Body Positive: Just Say No…To Implant Pressure

The Body Positive: Just Say No...To Implant Pressure

Tell a girl she needs breast implants and it could crush her. Tell a woman that, and watch out.

I’ve never wanted a set of falsies; The thought of going under the knife needlessly for vanity’s sake and a set of Pam Anderson-style stackers actually makes me feel such a heightened level of queasiness, it’s clear that such an unnatural move just doesn’t gel with who I am. More »

The Body Positive: Hurrah For The Flat-Chested

The Body Positive: Hurrah For The Flat-Chested

One day in high school, both me and my classmate Erin came in wearing the same spaghetti-strapped tank. Spaghetti-straps being against school dress code, Erin got sent home. I didn’t. Why? Erin had big boobs, I had none. Erin was, without necessarily meaning to, showing some significant cleavage; I was not. I think I was 17 at the time, and from that day forward, I felt sympathetic to big-chested girls’ complaints—that it was hard to avoid cleavage if they wanted to wear certain clothes; that they were hyper-sexualized or looked at as dumb or considered sluts because of their breasts. I also began, for the first time, to think: Hey, you know…maybe being flat-chested isn’t so bad. More »

The Body Positive: What I Do To Look Like A Runway Model

The Body Positive: What I Do To Look Like A Runway Model

Fashion model Ana Sofia has the kind of runway (and bikini) body that many women aspire to and envy: She’s not just thin; she’s toned and shapely. While her Portuguese genes aren’t doing her any disservice, her modeling assets don’t come 100% naturally, either: She puts in time at the gym and watches what she eats, especially when she has a photo shoot or show coming up. Can you do the same? Sure. But Ana Sofia’s health routine proves that looking runway-ready is a full time job (and did we mention her Portuguese genes?) More »

The Body Positive: I’m Genetically Predisposed To Hating My Body

The Body Positive: I'm Genetically Predisposed To Hating My Body

I can’t remember a time when I liked my body. No, that’s not an overstatement. I was born with a genetic predisposition for hating my body.

My body issues started early, like the moment I was aware enough to notice the bump on my arm. My parents were great at deciding that honesty is the best policy, and gave me my diagnosis early: “Mura, you were born with a genetic disorder.’ Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow in the nervous system. More »

The Body Positive: Photoshop of Horrors, Malnutrition Edition

The Body Positive: Photoshop of Horrors, Malnutrition Edition

By this point, we all know (at least intellectually) that many of the images we see in magazines and advertisements are airbrushed and photoshopped to make starlets and models look like anything but you and me (no matter how good you and me look!). But it’s hard to remember this sometimes, when you’re looking at the latest gorgeous photo shoot with Mila Kunis or Sarah Jessica Parker or some Eastern European runway model with a 14-inch waist. For that reason, we never tire of seeing the ‘before’ shots of these touched up photos. So let’s take a look at some of the waist-nipping, thigh-shaving, skin-smoothing shenanigans, found everywhere from magazines to billboards and even ads for hair dye. More »

The Body Positive: The Disordered Diets of the Rich & Skinny

The Body Positive: The Disordered Diets of the Rich & Skinny

Celebrities with eating disorders are often raked through the coals by the entertainment press, their every ‘scarily skinny!’ photo published and, if in recovery, their every siting analyzed for signs of relapse. That is, for a while—then we move on to the next A-list actress (slash reality TV contestant slash monarch slash pop star) who might have an eating issue (and drive tabloid sales). More »

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