From body positivity to body neutrality to fat acceptance, the current cultural discussion surrounding body image has become exhausting, stressful, and downright uninspiring. This is the age of Ozempic; famously curvaceous celebrities are suddenly dropping pounds left and right, semaglutide allegations whacking them harder with every inch lost. The burgeoning resurgence of flat stomachs in extremely low-rise jeans feels damning, and phrases like “ballet body” sting. Regarding the latter term, an October 2024 piece by The Guardian — literally titled “Being dangerously thin is back in. Is the body-positivity era officially over?” — notes that The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) deemed this moment in time the “ballet body” era. This came after liposuction and breast enhancement procedures rose in popularity in 2023. Liposuction was “the most in-demand plastic surgery procedure” that year and saw a 7% increase from 2022.
Model casting director Chloe Rosolek told the publication that “there’s been a decrease in size across the board, and that includes already straight-size models.” Rosolek also noted that “a lot of models that used to be plus-size are now mid-size.” To really drive the point home, club wear brand Namilia debuted an “I heart Ozempic” tank top during Berlin Fashion Week in July 2024.
It’s all a lot, but let’s not dwell on the negative. Here are motivational, inspiring, and supportive quotes about body image that will encourage self-love and confidence beyond physicality.
5 Body Image Quotes That Reject “Ballet Body” Noise
“And I said to my body, softly, ‘I want to be your friend.’ It took a long breath and replied, ‘I have been waiting my whole life for this.'”
Nayyirah Waheed
Perhaps the first step toward body neutrality, let alone body positivity, is making peace with one’s body. Nayyirah Waheed is a self-proclaimed “quiet poet,” and she just might be the internet’s most mysterious one. Famous for collections of poetry like salt., Waheed is a Black writer whose “micro poems” touch on topics like love, identity, race, feminism, immigration, motherhood, and self-worth with both brevity and impact.
“Whether positive or negative, there is totally no need in a film review to highlight how big OR small any part of my body is.”
Florence Pugh
Known for her work in films like Midsommar and Oppenheimer, Florence Pugh has been outspoken about the poor treatment of women and their bodies in Hollywood. In 2019, the U.K.’s Evening Standard released its film review of Fighting With My Family, in which Pugh plays WWE champion Paige, whose real name is Saraya-Jade Bevis. The critic made it a point to call Pugh’s thighs “chunky,” noting that Bevis’ legs are “significantly slimmer.” And for what? Whether she’s making a “free the nipple” statement on a red carpet or speaking out against unrealistic beauty standards, Pugh uses her voice.
“Each individual woman’s body demands to be accepted on its own terms.”
Gloria Steinem
Body acceptance is arguably an act of feminism. Journalist, lecturer, and organizer Gloria Steinem has been called the Mother of Feminism, and she’s surely earned it. Famous for her 1963 “I Was a Playboy Bunny” expose, Steinem became the face of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the late-1960s and the 1970s, aka the second wave of feminism. She co-founded organizations and committees like the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Women’s Action Alliance, the Women’s Media Center, and Voters for Choice.
“How I feel about myself is more important than how I look. Feeling confident, being comfortable in your skin—that’s what really makes you beautiful.”
Bobbi Brown
Sure, Bobbi Brown’s quote about self-love may seem unremarkable at first glance. Unfortunately, so many try to tackle “fixing” the outward appearance without acknowledging the importance of self-love and self-acceptance regardless of the physical reality.
Brown — a renowned makeup artist and industry icon, entrepreneur, and bestselling author — revolutionized the beauty world in the early ’90s with a style that enhances what’s already there, honoring each person’s individuality. Today, we know it as “no-makeup makeup.”
“You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful.”
Amy Bloom
Retired as both a psychotherapist and Wesleyan University’s Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing, esteemed author Amy Bloom explores themes like grief, love, marriage, mental health, identity, and the undeniable fragility of humanity. Naturally, her quote forces deeper reflection, a reflection that will never be flawless but will always be beautiful. Why does humanity seek perfection — in relation to the body or otherwise — if it is simply an ominous construct?
Bloom’s fictional work includes 1993’s book of short stories, Come to Me, a National Book Award finalist. Her nonfiction work includes 2002’s Normal: Transsexual CEOs, Crossdressing Cops and Hermaphrodites with Attitudes, a groundbreaking exploration at the time, and her vulnerable 2022 memoir, In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss.
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