Body activism

Social movement

Women protesting public nudity regulations in San Francisco, 2013. Free the Nipple Malmö Pride 2016

Body Activism (Swedish: Kroppsaktivism) is an ideology-based movement aimed at countering restrictive beauty ideals and creating equal conditions for people with different body types.[1]

## Description

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The term appeared on the Swedish Language Council's list of new words in 2016.

Related concepts include body positivity and body acceptance.[1] While these primarily emphasize a positive or accepting approach to all bodies, including one's own, body activism is about taking action to ensure that all bodies are seen, recognized, and appreciated.[2]

Body activism is part of a movement that advocates for people's – both men's and women's – right to their own bodies. It encourages individuals to appreciate their bodies as they are. The activism seeks to promote new beauty ideals and visibility for all body types. The core belief is that all naked bodies are beautiful. A body activist takes control of their own body by displaying it on their own terms, regardless of how it looks or what others think about it.[1] A common starting point is the well-known feminist slogan My Body, My Choice.

Body activism is often expressed on social media, in blogs, during events, in everyday life, or at places such as beaches.[3][4][5]

In Sweden, body activism and body positivity gained attention in a debate initiated in 2015 by Stina Wollter.[6] Since then, it has received increased attention, particularly in feminist research, and has been used to advocate for equal rights for both men and women. Other people who have been described as, or have called themselves, feminists and body activists include Mia Skäringer,[7][8] Karin Adelsköld,[7] Lady Dahmer, Linda-Marie Nilsson, Victoria Bateman, Beth Ditto, Arvida Byström,[9] Peg Parnevik[10] and Julia Skott.[11]

## See also

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* Body image
* Body positivity
* Dysmorphophobia
* Feminism
* Free the Nipple
* Nudity
* Naturism
* Fat activism

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Institutet för språk och folkminnen (Isof): Kroppsaktivism". Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
2. ^ Sofia Rönnkvist & Amelie Svenstedt, "Watch Me Do This" En multimodal kritisk diskursanalys av svenska kroppsaktivisters innehåll och uttryck på det sociala mediet Instagram, Göteborgs Universitet, 2018.
3. ^ Mimmi Landin, Min kropp, mitt vapen: en kvalitativ studie om kroppsaktivismen på Instagram, Malmö Högskola, 2017.
4. ^ Elin Gunnarsson: Jag släppte sarongen – och badkläderna, Allas, juli, 2019.
5. ^ "Anna Nghiem: Naken konst som upprör och hjälper, november 2017". Archived from the original on 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
6. ^ SvD 23 sept 2015: Stina Wollter till attack mot TV4.
7. ^ a b Sofia Börjesson: Pappafeminist och kroppsaktivism – årets nya ord och uttryck, ELLE december 2016.
8. ^ "Därför visar Mia Skäringer upp sin helt nakna kropp, Uppskattat, september 2018". Archived from the original on 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
9. ^ Mikaela Alex: Kroppspositiva kroppsaktivister som betytt mycket 2017, MåBra, december 2017.
10. ^ Peg Parnevik har fått nog – tar ställning mot hetsen, Expressen, 2018.
11. ^ Bröst – fotografier av Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, Kulturen in Lund, 2016.

## External links

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* Kroppsaktivism – alla kroppar är bra kroppar