“I’ve come to know that my body is divine and not defined by any movement or trend.”
Because of this, I’ve chosen to move in a direction that prioritises protecting my peace and simply existing in my vessel — the body that carries me, sustains me and allows me to live each day. I hold deep gratitude for my body. My work now centres around body neutrality: stepping back and recognising the body positivity movement for what it was: a movement. And for a time, it was a powerful one. Acknowledging this doesn’t mean the work ends; it simply means approaching it with clarity and compassion.
In this space, I’ve come to know that my body is divine and not defined by any movement or trend. Resistance, in the face of the rising Ozempic wave, doesn’t have to be loud or performative. Sometimes, it’s found in the quiet power of existing, fully and beautifully as we are. We can’t dismantle systems designed to make us dislike ourselves by forcing language that no longer reflects its original intention.
Preserving my peace remains paramount. As we move into the new year, I hope that each person, brand and creative does what they can for those in marginalised bodies within their own capacity: speaking up for the voices that tend to get lost in the conversation of body acceptance. I don’t know whether the Ozempic wave will fade into obscurity; I hope that it does. But if it doesn’t, I hope we continue to centre ourselves first, our mental health, our bodies and our inner worlds. From there, we can choose to speak up, if and when it feels aligned.
Courtesy of Nyome N Williams
In the space I occupy now, fighting for body positivity in the way I once did feels different. When the foundation of movements like the Ozempic wave is rooted in quietly encouraging self-doubt, it’s understandable that the energy that once fuelled body positivity has shifted. Perhaps we don’t reclaim it exactly as it was, but instead accept its evolution. This doesn’t mean hope is lost, it simply means the work is changing, and continuing in new, more honest ways.
Looking ahead to 2026, I hold a vision of collective discernment, a gentle rejection of anything that pulls us away from ourselves and a powerful rise in radically loving who we already are. I hope you’ll join me.