The impact of the body positivity movement on the self-Image of Black, young fat women in South Africa

Abstract

Differences that don’t fit the norm, such as race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and body type create susceptibility to marginalisation. Individuals, specifically women, who exist in larger bodies experience marginalisation which perpetuates a weight-based stigma against them. The aim of this research study was to explore the experiences young, Black, fat South African women have with the Body Positivity Movement’s attempt to humanise this aspect of their identities. The literature review undertaken thus far suggests that Eurocentric and Western beauty and health ideals have a great influence on the ideals held by women of colour, especially African women in particular. The emergence of the Body Positivity Movement which brought along with it, respect, acceptance, appreciation and visibility of the unconventional body types seem to have empowered a lot of women, especially fat women. The increasing visibility and overt self-presentation of fat South African women on social media platforms illustrates the complex and often contradictory interplay between historically entrenched Eurocentric beauty ideals and the lived bodily experiences of Black South African women. This expression of corporeality in digital spaces serves not only as evidence of the pervasive influence of Western aesthetic standards that have long privileged thinness, complexion, and body proportions aligned with Euro-American norms—but also highlights the ways in which these women negotiate, resist, and reconfigure such ideals in their everyday practices of self-representation. Their active participation in online visual cultures suggests a shifting relationship to self-image, wherein the internalisation of Eurocentric beauty hierarchies coexists with emerging forms of self-affirmation catalysed in part by the body positivity movement. The research design was that of an exploratory qualitative nature and was conducted from a social constructionist paradigm with Black Feminist Thought and Endarkened Feminist Epistemology as the guiding frameworks. The sample consisted of nine participants who were recruited through purposive and volunteer sampling. Data was collected through the use of indepth semi-structured interviews in order to explore the experiences and views of Black, fat South African women with the body positivity movement. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis was used to analyse the data and the results suggest that the Body Positivity Movement’s impact extends beyond a change in attitude to fundamental shifts in embodied experience, cultural belonging and the phenomenological structure of self- perception among Black, fat South African women.

Diphapang tse sa dumellaneng le tlwaelo, jwalo ka morabe, ditumelo tsa bodumedi, tshekamelo ya ho kopanela diphate le mofuta wa mmele di etsa hore ho be le monyetla wa ho kgeswa. Batho ka bomong, haholo-holo basadi, ba phelang ka mmele e meholwanyane ba na le ho kgeswa, e leng se etsang hore ba be le sekgobo se thehilweng ho boima ba mmele kgahlanong le bona. Sepheo sa thutopatlisiso e e ne e le ho sekaseka tseo basadi, ba batsho ba Afrika Borwa ba nang le maiteko ona a Movemente wa Kananelo le Kamohelo ya Mmele ka ho fapana a ho etsa hore karolo eno ya boitshupo ba bona e be le botho. Tlhahlobo ya tse ngotsweng e entseng e fana ka maikutlo a hore botle le bophelo bo botle ba Bophirima ba Eurocentric le Bophirima di na le tshusumetso e kgolo mehopolong ya basadi ba mebala, haholo-holo basadi ba Afrika. Ho hlaha ha Movemente wa Kananelo le Kamohelo ya Mmele ka ho fapana ha ona e ileng ya tlisa hammoho le yona, tlhompho, ho amohelwa, kananelo le ponahalo ya mefuta e sa tlwaelehang ya mmele ho bonahala e matlafaditse basadi ba bangata, haholo-holo basadi ba mafura. Ponahalo e ntseng e eketseha le ho itlhahisa pepeneneng ha basadi ba batenya ba Afrika Borwa metjheng ya ditaba tsa setjhaba di bontsha tshebedisano e rarahaneng le eo hangata e hananang dipakeng tsa menahano ya kgale ya botle ba Eurocentric le diphihlelo tsa mmele tsa basadi ba batsho ba Afrika Borwa. Polelo ena ya corporeality dibakeng tsa dijithale ha e sebetse feela e le bopaki ba tshusumetso e atileng ya ditekanyetso tsa botle ba Bophirima tseo e leng kgale di na le monyetla wa ho ba mosesaane, letlalo le dikarolo tsa mmele tse tsamaellanang le ditlwaelo tsa Euro-American — empa hape e totobatsa ditsela tseo basadi bana ba buisanang ka tsona, ba hanang le ho hlophisa botjha mehopolo e jwalo mekgweng ya bona ya letsatsi le letsatsi ya ho ikemela. Ho nka karolo ha bona ka mafolofolo ditsong tsa pono tsa marang-rang ho fana ka maikutlo a kamano e fetohang le boitshwaro, moo ho kenyeletswa ka hare ho maemo a botle a Eurocentric ho kopantseng le mefuta e hlahang ya boitlamo bo hlahisitsweng ke Movemente wa Kananelo le Kamohelo ya mmele ka ho fapana ha yona. Moralo wa dipatlisiso e ne e le wa boleng ba tlhahlobo mme o entswe ho tswa ho paradigm ya kaho ya setjhaba e nang le Black Feminist Thought le Endarkened Feminist Epistemology e le meralo e tataisang. Mohlala o ne o e-na le bankakarolo ba robong ba ileng ba thaothwa ka disampole tse nang le sepheo le boithaopo. Dintlha di ile tsa bokellwa ka tshebediso ya dipuisano tse tebileng tsa semi-structured ho hlahloba diphihlelo le maikutlo a basadi ba batsho, ba nonneng ba Afrika Borwa ba nang le Movemente wa Kamohelo le Kananelo ya mmele ka ho fapana ha yona. Tlhaloso ya Phenomenological Analysis e ile ya sebediswa ho sekaseka dintlha, mme diphetho di fana ka maikutlo a hore phehello ya Movemente wa kamohelo le kananelo ya mmele ka ho fapana ha yona e fetela ka nqane ho phetoho ya maikutlo ho diphetoho tsa motheo tsa phihlelo e kenyelletsweng, ho ba setso le sebopeho sa phenomenological ya ho ipona hara basadi ba batsho, ba nonneng ba Afrika Borwa.

Umehluko ongahambisani nemikhuba ejwayelekile, efana njengobuhlanga, izinkolelo zenkolo, ukuzibandakanya ngokocansi kanye nokwakheka komzimba kuvimba ukuthola izinsiza. Amalunga, ikakhulukazi abesifazane, abaphila nemizimba emikhulu bazithola benqandeka ekutholeni izinsiza okubhebhethekisa isihlava esicwasa isisindo somzimba. Inhloso yalolucwaningo ukubuyekeza izimo abantu besifazane abamnyama, abasebancane baseNingizimu Afrika abakhuluphele abanobudlelwano nenhlangano egqugquzela ukuzithemba ngomzimba ngokwamukela ubuwena. Ukubhekwa kwezinye izihloko ezibhalwe ngabanye ongcweti kuveza ukuba ubuhle baseYurophu naseNtshonalanga kanye nezindlela zempilo bunomthelela omkhulu kwindlela abesizafazane bebala, kanye nabesifazane base Afrika ngokukhethekile. Ukuphakama koMkhankaso Wokuthanda Umzimba okulethe ukuhlonishwa, ukwamukelwa, ukuqashelwa nokubonakala kwezinhlobo zomzimba ezingajwayelekile kubonakala kunike abesifazane abaningi amandla, ikakhulukazi abesifazane abanokukhuluphala. Ukubonakala okukhulayo nokuziveza ngokusobala kwabesifazane abakhulu baseNingizimu Afrika ezinkundleni zokuxhumana kukhombisa ukudidiyela okunzima futhi okuvame ukuphikisana phakathi kwezimiso zobuhle ezibekwe emlandweni ezisuselwa eYurophu kanye nezinto eziphilwayo zomzimba zabesifazane abamnyama baseNingizimu Afrika. Lokhu kukhombisa ubuqotho bomzimba ezindaweni zedijithali akukhombisi nje kuphela ubufakazi bokuthi izinga lobuhle lasentshonalanga elibeke phambili ukuncipha komzimba, umbala wesikhumba kanye nezilinganiso zomzimba ezifana nezaseYurophu naseMelika lithinteka kanjani—futhi kugcizelela izindlela lapho abesifazane bebhekana, bemelana futhi belungisa kabusha lezi zimiso ezinhle ekuziphatheni kwabo nsuku zonke. Ukubamba kwabo iqhaza eliqhubekayo emasikweni okubonwayo aku-inthanethi kubonisa ukuguquka kobudlelwane nesithombe somuntu, lapho ukufakwa ngaphakathi kwezinhlelo zobuhle ezise-Europe kusebenzisana nezindlela ezikhulayo zokuzazisa ezishukumiselwe ingxenye yeMikhankaso Wokwamukela Umzimba. Umgomo wocwaningo wawunesimiso sokuhlola ngokwekhwalithi futhi wenziwa kusukela kumqondo womphakathi wokwakha izindlela zokucabanga zabesifazane abamnyama kanye ne-Endarkened Feminist Epistemology njengohlaka oluholwa phambili. Isampula yayiqukethe ababambiqhaza abayisishiyagalolunye abaqashwe ngokukhethekile nangokuzithandela. Idatha yaqoqwa ngokusebenzisa izingxoxo ezijulile ezingahleleki ngokuphelele ukuze kuhlolwe izipiliyoni nombono wabesifazane abamnyama, abesifazane baseNingizimu Afrika abakhulu mayelana ne-Body Positivity Movement. Ukuhlaziywa Kwe-Phenomenological kusetshenziswe ukuhlaziya