When Body Positivity is Transphobic

There has been a growing movement for people to love their own bodies while also respecting others, regardless of their shape or size. In general, the body positivity movement is great for the mental health and well-being of everyone.

However, gender critical people are also using the body positivity movement to lash out at trans people, especially transgender men. They are trying to shame us for not loving the bodies we were born with and accusing us of mutilating ourselves to become something they feel we're not.

Using the concept of body positivity against trans people in this way is problematic, and here's why.

Body Positivity Disguised as Transphobia

Comments aimed at transgender people positing that we should learn to love the bodies we were born with, or worse accuse us of body shaming ourselves, are shortsighted at best and transphobic at worst.

It’s one thing to tell someone who doesn't fit the ridiculous societal norms of attractiveness that they are beautiful as they are and that they shouldn’t be ashamed of how they look (because they are, and they shouldn't). It’s entirely another to say the same thing to a transgender person, with the implication of accepting the body we were born with.

I’ve seen this all-too-often online where someone will casually comment. “You’re a beautiful man/woman! You don’t need to change your gender. Accept and love the body you were born with!” Gender dysphoria is a lot more than just how our bodies look, although that is part of it. It’s also how we’re viewed by society. Being able to transition allows us to change our gender expression beyond the clothes we wear, how we style our hair, and whether we choose to wear makeup.

When we transition, we are more likely to be identified as our gender, instead of as someone of one sex dressing as a different gender. While gender non-conforming dress has been acceptable for women for a few decades now, and modern men's fashion is also beginning to break gender barriers, this isn't the same as being born transgender.

Trans people have a fundamental disconnect between our gender identity and our bodies. It's an incongruence that often leads to gender dysphoria because society views us based on our outward appearance, not by how we identify or present ourselves. Transition is the only way for us to resolve this.

Body Positivity for Everyone

Saying all that, the growing body positivity movement is a wonderful thing. Tolerance and acceptance of all people, regardless of looks, size, color, or whatever, is something we should all embrace. Trans people also want to be included in this, but not in the way gender critical people have been going about it.

Now, it’s possible that the people who are using body positive language toward transgender people are coming from a good place, and just using the wrong approach.

If you truly accept trans people and believe in body positivity, try this approach instead. Don’t ask transgender people to learn to love the bodies they were born with. Instead, you should love and accept the bodies they are transitioning into. Even after transition, many transgender people struggle with dysphoria.

Many trans men are shorter than the average man. So, like any other shorter-than-average man, we need to learn to love and accept our height. For trans women, the opposite is commonly true. Many trans women are taller than the average woman and need to embrace and love their height. As a society, we need people to accept that men can be short, and women can be tall. That's one aspect of body positivity that I wish all people would embrace.

Beyond that, society needs to accept, or at the very least tolerate, transgender people as we present ourselves to the world. Asking us to accept our birth sex is not being body positive, it’s showing your intolerance. It becomes difficult for transgender people to love our authentic selves when we still face so much hatred and discrimination in the world. If you want us to love ourselves, then you should accept us as we are, and not as you think we should be.

Isn’t that the entire point behind body positivity?