Tomorrow May 6 is International No Diet Day. The day is celebrated every year to raise awareness of weight discrimination, size biases and fatphobia. It is meant for individuals to declare a day free from diets and obsession about body weight.
It is a day meant for individuals to love their bodies, treat themselves and be kind to themselves. It is aimed at encouraging people to embrace their bodies, to raise awareness about the negative effects of dieting, such as eating disorders, low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction.
On this day, organisations motivate people to focus on self-care and self-love instead of dieting. The International No Diet Day reminds us that all bodies, regardless of their shapes and sizes, are beautiful and worthy of everybody’s respect.
It promotes the concept of “Health At Any Size” and “Never accept that there is a single perfect body type”. It is also meant for people to respect those who have suffered from eating disorders and weight loss surgery.
The day was founded by a British feminist, Mary Evans Young, in 1992. She was inspired to start the day after suffering from anorexia and body image issues which helped her become a body positivity activist.
On the day, observers are encouraged to look at their bodies with love and develop a healthy relationship with food. It is celebrated in many countries with a light blue ribbon.
Source: Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org
