Page 31 - Healthy (March - April 2020)

BODY CONFIDENCE

Disability campaigner and actress
Samantha Renke (pictured, near left)
has brittle bone disease. She argues
the body positivity movement hasn’t
yet solved our body image crisis

‘ he body positivity movement is well-meant, but body working and looking diferently. I may not be able
to reach a shelf as I used to, or push my wheelchair the
I have several issues with it. First, it isn’t as
inclusive as it pretends to be. Yes, you can ind
same way. That has nothing to do with people saying they
T someone who looks like you on social media, there
my life that I can’t control – when I’ll break a bone; being in
are some inluencers with colostomy bags or even with ind disability ugly, it’s a physical change. There’s so much in
invisible disabilities. But in the main, we still cherry pick. a wheelchair; the number of diferent heath complications
Adam Pearson, the British actor, presenter and campaigner I have – so why should I feel ashamed of wanting to change
As told to Laura Potter. Photographs Getty, iStock Barbie that Mattel brought out was very safe. She looked just bones, but it’s my environment that disables me, not my
my appearance?
with neuroibromatosis, is really the only person with very
noticeable disabilities on our screens. Even the ‘inclusivity’
I’ll always have my impairment, I’ll always have brittle
body. We should be putting pressure on society to change
like a regular Barbie, but was in a wheelchair – and she’s not
attitudes, rather than telling individuals to use mantras and
that representative, as only eight per cent of disabled people
are wheelchair users. We need to look at all types of
tell themselves they’re beautiful. We should have better,
authentic representation, we should educate people better,
disabilities, or excluded people feel even more marginalised.
so nobody grows up feeling like some kind of alien species.
Secondly, how you feel about your body changes from
It shouldn’t be left to the individual, because that pressure
your teens to your 20s to your 50s. It’s natural to go through
stages where you don’t like your body. I fear that this pressure
to constantly love yourself sends the message we’re not
anybody who has a form of mental illness.
allowed to feel negatively towards our is a big burden – particularly for somebody young, or for
Body neutrality, which preaches that self-worth
bodies. If those completely normal We should isn’t based on appearance, doesn’t ring true for me
feelings are suppressed, how will that either. It’s about seeing your body as a vessel that
manifest? We’re encouraging men to put more can take you where you want to go in life. For a lot
cry, to be sensitive, but we’re asking of disabled people, their body doesn’t do that.
women to always be OK. pressure on Sometimes my body fails me on a dramatic scale,
Body positivity tells you that you and body positivity or neutrality might make me
should be ashamed of saying, ‘I want society to feel guilty that I’m disappointed by that. I also need
to change how I look.’ With body to know my body inside out – for example, the
positivity, if you’re overweight and change, not whites of my eyes turn blue if I’m about to have
you’ve been fat-shamed, you’re told you a fracture. I need to be very in tune with my body
should ignore that and love yourself. people with – being neutral towards it isn’t an option.
When plus-size inluencer Michelle I would prefer to have campaigns ighting for
Elman started posting gym pictures, my rights, rather than telling me how to feel about
she faced a backlash, but why shouldn’t disabilities myself. I feel good by being able to get to work
she exercise? The assumption is that and to socialise, but I can’t do that if the public
you want to make those changes to your body for other transport system is failing me, so why don’t you ight with
people’s beneit, but that often isn’t the case. me to remove those barriers? That’s how I’ll feel more body
If you have a disability, how you feel about your body isn’t positive, because I won’t feel excluded. I would rather have
down to what society thinks. If I have a fracture, the bone more emphasis on how society can change, rather than how
will not heal in the same way, so it will deform – that means I can change my outlook as an individual, and I think most
that every time I fracture, I have to come to terms with my women would agree – disabled or otherwise.

healthy-magazine.co.uk 31