Fitness Expert Complains On Twitter That PC Culture Has Made Body Positivity Into A Dangerous Lie

Jack Bly thought he was calling out a cultural problem, but his Twitter thread quickly turned into a bigger fight about body image, obesity, and who gets to define health. The fitness expert argued that body positivity can be helpful in some cases, but becomes harmful when it is used to excuse things people can change.

That stance drew plenty of pushback, along with support from people who agreed that the movement has gone too far. Bly also said the backlash did not outweigh the response he received, and the debate soon widened beyond one post into a familiar argument about fatphobia, fat acceptance, and body neutrality.

Now the conversation is spilling into every corner of the internet.

In retrospect, Bly insists he received an overwhelming amount of support in contrast to criticism. He also had a lot of advice to share in his interview.

TheJackBlyJack

“If you’re someone who is SERIOUS about making a permanent body transformation but feels like you’ve tried everything before, don’t want to do another miserable diet, or don’t have much time to commit… you need to invest in a coach."

TheJackBlyJack

“Countless studies show the power of accountability when it comes to achieving any goal. And we know that where we invest our time and money reveals our true priorities. If you want to improve in an area, you MUST invest your resources there."

TheJackBlyJack

"And just know that EVERYONE is capable of achieving the body they can be proud of.”

TheJackBlyJack

He added: “You can do this!!!”

TheJackBlyJack

That is where the thread really started to split people.

Alongside Bly's argument, personal trainer and physiotherapist Paulius Lipskis explains:

“Somebody could potentially use the body positivity movement as an excuse for their unhealthy habits; however, if the movement encourages you to accept and embrace yourself, it’s something that you should strive to follow."TheJackBlyJack

Lipskis also said: “It’s also a problem if you view healthy living as something that you’re forced to do. If you’re constantly angry, tired, and low on energy—it’s an issue."

“Usually, our unhealthy habits are a result of constant stress and our behavior that’s meant to protect us from it. If we were to have an honest chat with ourselves, we’d clearly see that we’re dissatisfied with ourselves only when we feel that we’re using our bad habits to cover our emotions."TheJackBlyJack

“However, if we accept that we’re not perfect, we’re not pressured to change. That’s when you start developing a natural desire and curiosity to find out what the best possible version of you is.”

smithhmackenzie

Then the discussion widened beyond Bly himself.

In an article for The Guardian, Eva Wiseman said we need to move toward body neutrality, not positivity:

“‘Everybody’s beautiful, and all bodies are perfect!’ said 2019, to a small murmur from those pointing out that the workplace, Tinder, fashion, and health professionals disagree. The effect, then, was a feeling of isolation and a doubling of guilt—guilt both for living in a body that doesn’t fit and for wanting to change it."AmboJedi

On the history of Body Positivity, author Kelly DeVos says:

"It’s worth noting that body positivity is the convergence of a few movements. The fat acceptance movement was pioneered in the 1960s by Black and queer women to fight discrimination in public spaces, the workplace, and doctors’ offices. Fat positivity, which is more of a reaction to fat shaming, and body positivity, which is a more commercial self-esteem movement, came later."HominemDad

In contrast... For Scientific American, Linda Bacon writes:

"From my decades of challenging the pervasive 'fat is bad' rhetoric, I know that every time I assert that the problem for fat people isn’t their bodies, but abuse from society, bigotry fights back. It’s not just the outright haters who populate the comments section, but worse, the self-righteous who see their stance as caring. It’s all about health, their argument goes, not bias."TJPhoenix3

It’s like the Emily vs. commercial dog food standoff, where raw diet advice sparked tension.

Linda continued:

"No, it’s not. Intent does not negate impact. You cannot wage war on obesity without waging war on the people who live in those 'obese' bodies. Moreover, the dignity of a group should not be contingent on whether its members are deemed healthy, eating 'right,' or exercising regularly. It should be obvious, but Dr. Kristin Neff, a self-compassion researcher, states, 'When we treat ourselves with compassion, we are more likely to take care of ourselves and make healthier choices.' Furthermore, James Clear, an author and productivity expert, emphasizes that 'The goal is not to be perfect. The goal is to be better than you were yesterday.'"mir_and_a

Author Crystal Maldonado says: "It’s still a radical notion to accept fat people as they are, that they don’t have to lose weight."

MedusaMetacast

Maldonado also said: "Let’s move on and let people have their bodies and not make them feel bad for existing. Let fat people live!"

Tsavagemofo7

Amee Severson, a registered dietitian whose work focuses on body positivity, fat acceptance, and intuitive eating through a social justice lens, advocates that Body Positivity should move towards Fat Acceptance:

"Body positivity is a great entry point for many people to fat acceptance and deeper self-acceptance work. The message of self-love is an important part of individual work because changing a culture requires determination and resilience. It’s hard to not believe a culture that loves to point out your flaws, but this daily pressure is also why #bodypositivity on its own is not enough."Life_of_Slamb

Amee added: "Discrimination and fatphobia are harmful to each and every one of us."

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Amee also said: "If body positivity is going to do what it was always supposed to do, it needs to include fat acceptance."

"It needs to include those in marginalized bodies and bodies that are not culturally accepted now. Fat acceptance circles center fat bodies because all bodies are not treated equally in our everyday spaces—medical offices, movie and TV characters, clothing brands and availability, dating apps, airplanes, restaurants, to name a few."jaygby

Sofie Hagen, a Danish stand-up comedian, author, activist, and podcaster, says she is "not a body positivity campaigner; I am a fat liberationist."

"I do not care if you love your body or not; I care about abolishing the systematic discrimination and abuse that fat people endure on a daily basis. Body positivity is fine, but it doesn't at all fix the problem."WeHateDiana

Hagen turned to Twitter last year to explain more about being a fat liberationist:

"It's not about finding fat bodies attractive. It's about how fatphobia kills people. And not just fat people (from healthcare professionals refusing to touch fat people or telling us to lose weight instead of looking at our actual symptoms to seatbelts not fitting us in cars)—"Natasha_Langa

Hagen continued:

"But it's also killing people of all sizes, especially young girls, who develop eating disorders and body dysmorphia—all because of the *fear* of getting fat—or who are bullied and end up committing suicide. There are diet pills and weight-loss surgeries that kill people."stedfastt

And most importantly, Hagen says: "Even sick people deserve to not be abused, to be respected, and to not be discriminated against."

dearest_fawn

Unsurprisingly, the replies were all over the map.

Obviously, Bly sparked massive conversations on Twitter. Perhaps he did receive overwhelming support, and perhaps a fitness expert who thinks PC culture and Body Positivity is evil just isn't on the radar of people who have a lot to say about living life in fat bodies and fat liberation.

Musmu1203

It's certainly not the first time these conversations have occurred, nor will they likely be the last.

miggycox

And of course, there are people in the center who see both sides of opinions that range from fatphobia to fat liberation.

Aidan816104182

And there are plenty of people who think it's ALL connected.

ghostenomics

At the very least, the conversations continuing to happen can hopefully bring about more positive change on an individual and social level.

IssaWangai

Twitter and folks like Bly will live to see another day and spark another controversy, I'm sure.

DavionTheDN

So the last question seems to be... what do you think?

wing_ng80

On the spectrum from fatphobia to fat liberation, where do you sit and what do you think about what Bly had to say?

MrJPearceAnyone

The argument is not going away anytime soon.

Still dealing with a group dynamic mess, read about confronting Sarah’s nonstop negativity.