‘All bodies are beach bodies’: As ‘bikini’ season arrives, Spain launches body positivity campaign

As summer arrives, with it also comes the pressure to achieve what is popularly called a “bikini body”. The term and the connotations added to it create unrealistic standards, and in extreme cases, can also give rise to body dysmorphia, and eating disorders. Taking a step forward, the Spanish government has launched a new campaign which focuses on body positivity. Spain’s Equality Ministry has launched a summer campaign, which encourages women of all shapes and sizes to go to the beach without worrying about how their bodies might look to someone else.

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The ministry even released a poster as part of its body positivity campaign, showcasing five women of all sizes and shapes, with the Spanish words “El verano también es nuestro” (which translates to “Summer is ours too”) sprawled across the top of the image.

A topless woman recovering from a mastectomy — a surgery which involves removing all breast tissue as a means of treating or preventing breast cancer — is also seen in the campaign image of five women unwinding on a beach.

Ione Belarra, minister of social services, also taking to Twitter declared, “All bodies are beach bodies. And mountain bodies. Our bodies are to be cared for, respected and enjoyed.”

Antonia Morillas, the head of the Women’s Institute, which is behind this initiative, asserted that physical standards not only hurt women’s self-esteem but also deprived them of their rights.

BBC reports that the institute says that the campaign was an effort to demonstrate that all bodies had validity.

However, many were quick to call out “the absurdity” of the campaign that is reportedly costing the government 20,000 million Euros.

“A budget of 20,000 million Euros to make signs informing us that if you are fat you can also go to the beach. The real problems for another day. The ministry of equality is an absurdity that only serves to place a bunch of swindlers of our taxes,” said a local.

(With inputs from agencies)

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