Body positivity: How is Netflix joining the fight?

Netflix is indeed joining the body positivity fight through various series and movies.

This shows how this way of learning self-love is spreading especially on what we could call “young platforms” in the sense that their users are mainly teenagers.

We already saw in another article the role of Instagram in the body positivity movement and I could talk about the recent diversification we can observe in fashion shows but I choose to talk about Netflix.

Netflix is actually putting the emphasis on body shaming in one of its most successful show, a Spanish series called Elite. In the third season, the plot of one of the main characters is conducted by the courage she had to stand against fat shaming.

A boy from her school used to be obese and therefore mocked on social medias but is now very fit and rich. She was the only one to drag down the bullies and shame them for being this ridiculously mean.

He asks her out and, after some time, she realizes that he hasn’t really taken his revenge, he is just faking with buying the most expensive car, being the more handsome guy and, of course, hanging with the prettier girl.

From this point we can really see all the psychological damages that body shaming can cause and how, even after a tremendous physical transformation in this case, the victims feel that they’re never enough. Of course, with the girl’s help and his own determination he will go forward and learn how great he is no matter how he looks.

I think that including this fight in shows and movies is a very good way to raise awareness on a large scale and to demonstrate also how speaking up against body shaming is important.

-Margot