Posts tagged with "Apple Podcasts"

Gustavo Cadile speaks to Vaughn Lowery about fashion industry, pandemic and Miami swim week via 360 MAGAZINE

FASHION DESIGNER GUSTAVO CADILE

Listen to Gustavo Cadile speak to Vaughn Lowery on 360 MAG Apple/Spotify podcast HERE.

Gustavo Cadile is an Argentinian-born fashion designer of Italian descent. Recently, he relocated from New York City to Miami to launch a new showroom and continue designing as well as launching stunning couture fashion collections. He combines Italian artistry with Argentinian imagery to create beautiful fashion designs, bridal gowns and swimwear. 

Additionly, Gustavo earned an Associate’s degree in Fashion Design from Miami International University of Art & Design; and he is excited to return to his alma mater to debut a new swimwear collection at 2022 Miami Swim Week.

Cadile has built a noteworthy name in the fashion industry as a highly sought-after fashion designer having dressed influential celebrities including Gina Rodriguez, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Eva Longoria, Reese Witherspoon, Kate Walsh and January Jones among others; both on the red carpet and in editorial pages. 

Gustavo Cadile has also been recognized for his craftsmanship and quality, earning him the New Emerging Designer Award in 2007 at the Gold Coast Awards in Chicago. He was nominated in 2008 and 2009 for the Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Award; and in 2013, Gustavo was awarded the Fashion Group International Award in Miami.

In addition, Gustavo’s noteworthy fashion looks have been featured in prominent media outlets including Elle Magazine, Vogue, Los Angeles Times, Ocean Drive Magazine, WWD and L’ People Magazine. To learn more about Gustavo Cadile, please visit his website HERE.

Follow Gustavo:

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Articles in the Media:

Miami Living Magazine

360 MAGAZINE official logo in green gradient with gold outline.

360 MAG: a no-nonsense conversation

360 MAG: a no-nonsense conversation reports on green design + pop news. Hosted by Vaughn Lowery, Javier Pedroza, Armon Hayes, LaJune Grant

Lowery called the podcast, “An evocative gallery where everyone can continue to celebrate their singularity.” Pedroza added, “I’d like for people to feel inspired, joyful, creative, and stronger after listening to 360 MAG: A No-Nonsense Conversation.” 

In the first episode, Javier Pedroza spoke with Piso 21, a Latin pop group known for hits such as Me Llamas, Besándote, and Déjala Que Vuelva. 360 also interviewed other major figures: singer Carmen DeLeon, disabled TikTok influencer NotLewy, and actor/rapper Young Dylan. Stay tuned. We’ll also chat with representatives from the technology, design, and automotive industries.360 also recently released the Animal Series NFT collection. Four NFTs will be on sale until May 1st. Get yours now by clicking HERE. More information can be found HERE. Find the podcast on Apple, Amazon, Google, and Spotify. Podcasts will be available in both Spanish and English. Additionally, 360 MAG has a dedicated RSS feed and has launched an account on Twitch to increase reach.

EPISODES

ABOUT 360 MAGAZINE

360 MAGAZINE is an edgy fashion, lifestyle and culture magazine, introducing cutting-edge brands, entities and trends to taste makers within their respective communities. Founding members have over 30 years of collective experience both as notable talent and professionals within the realms of fashion, music, art, design and entertainment. 360 is more than just a magazine comprised of journalists, representing a movement of social awareness and change.

360 is a LGBTQIA-friendly publication, officially recognized by the NGLCC. The magazine is contemporary in look and appeal. Quality art content is the constant goal. It will be entertaining, newsworthy and thought-provoking, appealing to a broad entertainment readership. No publication like it is available today, constantly celebrating racial as well as sexual ambiguous talent and artists.

Molto Italiano new Dolce&Gabbana podcast via 360 magazine

MOLTO ITALIANO

A podcast series that chronicles the most iconic and inescapably Italian elements of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana‘s universe. Their connection to their Country, to the world of cinema, art and culture.

Available for free starting July 7 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Google Podcasts and at choramedia.com

MOLTO ITALIANO is the first podcast series produced by CHORA MEDIA – the Italian podcast company founded in 2020 by Guido Maria Brera, Mario Gianani, Roberto Zanco and Mario Calabresi who directs it – for Dolce&Gabbana. Designed for an international audience and produced in English, it is available for free starting July 7 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Google Podcasts and all other major audio platforms, as well as on choramedia.com.

MOLTO ITALIANO is a journey into the creative imagination of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana and those elements of style that, through their vision, have contributed to making Italy’s culture and traditions known throughout the world.

Each episode is dedicated to one of the “signs” that are part of Dolce&Gabbana‘s history and DNA and that, together, make the brand so inescapably Italian: from corsetry to the color black, via the tank top and the Sicilian cart.

Leading the narrative, written by author and journalist Silvia Nucini, is Isabella Rossellini, an international icon film and fashion icon, who voices her memories while alternating with historians, academics and artists who share their perspectives on the elements at the center of each episode.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana reveal passions and inspirations behind their vision: each episode is a chorus of voices celebrating fashion, tradition, craftsmanship, art and culture.

THE EPISODES

Ep.1 The brassiere

Almost austere, black, and inspired by the great icons of Italy’s neorealist cinema: this is the brassiere which Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have been dressing women with for years. Guided by the voice of Isabella Rossellini, we discover the birth of this garment – which manages to be at the same time both temperate and erotic, a symbol of motherhood and sensuality.

French fashion historian Florence Müller tells of the brassiere’s first century of life, while the Sicilian writer Nadia Terranova shares her own memories of this object, from rites of passage to moments of family life.

Ep.2 Black

The color black has many meanings, often at odds with one another. It’s the color which Sicilian women used to wear for years in sign of mourning, but it’s also synonymous with elegance. It’s a symbol of power and modesty. You should always have something black hanging in your wardrobe, and it’s also worn by the fashion makers themselves.

In this episode Isabella Rossellini guides us on our way to discover one of the iconic colors of Dolce&Gabbana, weaving together ancient stories and traditions. With contributions from the Academy Award winning director Giuseppe Tornatore, from the English journalist Suzy Menkes, and the American historian Carmela Spinelli.

Ep.3 The tank top

The tank top is a simple garment, an everyday one, and it is also “molto italiano.” This popular object has been reworked and transformed by the world of film. Guido Bonsaver, professor at the University of Oxford, and Rebecca Bauman, associate professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, tell Isabella Rossellini of the first tank tops in film from the forties and fifties. As well as the significance of this garment (as soon as the most beloved actors of the time put it on), and of its evolution towards the world of action movie heroines.

Director Giuseppe Tornatore shares with us the images that the tank top elicits in him, while journalist Suzy Menkes talks about the purely Italian style of Dolce&Gabbana.

Ep.4 The Sicilian cart

It’s reductive to consider Sicilian carts as mere vehicles. These carts are so rich in color and decorations that, according to Marianna Gatto of the Italian American Museum in Los Angeles, they’re best described as “walking books.” For the painter from Palermo, Gianfranco Fiore (who decorates these carts), they represent the most popular, creative and imaginative soul of the Sicilian people. Isabella Rossellini speaks with Gatto and Fiore of history, traditions and memories. She also talks with the German photographer Juergen Teller.

In this episode we discover how the Dolce&Gabbana brand managed to inject new life in the cart and to bring it over to the fields of fashion, design and furnishing, where it has become a symbol of high quality Italian artisanship.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Silvia Nucini is a journalist, writer and author. After 20 years as Senior writer and Features editor of Vanity Fair Italy, she now collaborates with several publications. She holds a weekly podcast in which she interviews writers.

Molto Italiano is a Chora Media series for Dolce&Gabbana. It was narrated by Isabella Rossellini who shared and put into words some of her memories. It was written by Silvia Nucini and adapted by John Vincent. Story editing by Sara Poma; our Senior Account Producer is Anna Nenna and our research and production assistant is Francesca Bottenghi. Our New York based producer is Guglielmo Mattioli. Voice actors: Vincenzo Tripodo, Fabrizio Matteini, Michael Loos, Rosita Martini, Andrea Galatà. It was recorded by Charles De Montebello at CDM Studios in New York. Tape sync recordings by: Pierluigi Papaiz, Michele Boreggi, Azzurra Stirpe, Hugo Hannoun. Original music, post production and sound design by Andrea Girelli; post production assistant Guido Bertolotti. Music supervision by Luca Micheli. Additional music by Machiavelli Music and Universal Music Publishing Recording.

Trans woman, actress, entertainer, TV personality Monroe Alise shot Corey Fletcher speaks to Vaughn Lowery via 360 Magazine podcast

Monroe Alise

Listen to Monroe Alise’s full conversation with Vaughn Lowery on the 360 MAG Podcast HERE

Monroe Alise is an actress, LGBTQIA+ advocate, model and comedienne. As a transgender woman, she has fulfilled her childhood dream of working in the entertainment industry. Her philosophy on life is described in her mantra, “If you can’t laugh at life, you will never find a reason to live it.”

Born and raised in Washington DC, Monroe grew up passionate and inspired by media and entertainment. Her admiration for her father’s successful career as a DJ ignited her insatiable desire to entertain. Thus, she began singing in church, propelling her into the world of artistic expression. 

For Monroe, a great singer consists of emulating your favorite idols while taking advantage of the potential of one’s own voice. As a child, she recalls being compared to artists like John Legend and Luther Vandross because of her tonality and courage. Another favorite is Nina Simone, whom she references while belting evangelical hymns. 

As a youth, Monroe was a very active and social child. She studied sports public relations but fancied theatre. These disciplines were conducive to her discovery of sexuality. Further, she began to notice a direct correlation with her mother’s maternal responsibilites, rather than her father and two brother’s machismo profile. 

According to Monroe, “While they were playing games and sports, I was in the kitchen doing my mom’s hair.” In addition, her openly gay aunt was influential in her gender transformation due to her immense pride and confidence.

Monroe’s gender bender was painstakingly challenging but became easier over time. For instance, while preparing for an acting role as a Trans woman, she became comfortable in this new skin. After the audition, she gave herself permission to continue to live within this newfound reality.

A year later, Monroe made the decision to come out, “I was like, well this is who I am, so I socially reinvented myself and this is the girl you see.” Eventhough the transition embraced authenticity, it was extremely taxing on her family as well as father’s religious convictions.

Lacking legit representation and management, Monroe began to utilize social media to seek opportunities within the realms of fashion and Hollywood. As a thespian, Monroe became enthralled by the portrayal of becoming another homosepian while subsequently having an impact on the world. This year’s main objective is New York City’s Broadway. Her short-term is to star in a sci-fi like Star Trek or Star Wars as well as a fantasy film similar in type to Harry Potter and Twilight. Longterm, Monroe aspires to host a namesake talk show directed and produced by herself.

As an emerging Trans Community activist, Monroe is deeply concerned about the increasing rate of violence against her people. She hopes to alleviate the suffering of her collective, especially at the hands and ignorance of the narrow-minded. 

Monroe’s Five Principles:

1.) Adequate preparation;

2.) prevention of underachievement;

3.) working while you wait without worry;

4.) preparing for your mission;

5.) and continuing to work because you know you’ve been doing the best you could.

Credits:

Article: Andrea Esteban, McKinley Franklin, Armon Hayes, Vaughn Lowery

Photo: Corey Fletcher

Resources:

Trans Lifeline

Human Rights Campaign

Follow Monroe Alise:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter YouTube | Spotify

Check out Monroe on the latest season of P-Valley on Starz.

Mental health graphic via 360 MAGAZINE

James Flowers × Marlan Wayans

In this week’s episode of Understanding the Human Condition with Dr. James Flowers, Houston’s celebrity mental health expert Dr. James S. Flowers, Ph.D., LPC-S, sits down with actor and comedian Marlon Wayans to discuss the intersections of grief, trauma and comedy.

“You have this skill set to take something so dark and find something funny about it,” said Wayans, “It doesn’t mean you don’t deal with that pain. It’s just you go, okay what’s funny about it?”

This week’s episode is perfect for the current moment as we are coming off the heels of Mother’s Day and are still in the midst of Mental Health Awareness Month. In their poignant discussion, Flowers and Wayans reveal the heartbreak and potential for comedy and healing within the struggles of losing their mothers.

“My new set right now, I talk about the most traumatic thing that ever happened to me, which was losing my mother,” said Wayans, “And that’s crazy that you would make a set about losing your mother. Like what’s funny about that? I don’t know. It helped to heal me.”

Watch Full Interview HERE

“Understanding the Human Condition with Dr. James Flowers” is a weekly podcast in which Dr. Flowers and his most-admired mentors, respected colleagues and VIP guests share valuable insight into underlying health causes, conditions and issues. These in-depth yet approachable episodes are a great resource for both private individuals and industry professionals. New episodes are released every Thursday on YouTube, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and iHeartRadio.

About Dr. James Flowers

The esteemed host, Dr. James Flowers is one of the most recognized and respected names in the field of chronic pain, mental health, and substance use disorders, both nationally and internationally. Dr. Flowers is the founder of J. Flowers Health Institute located in Houston, Texas.

Podcast via 360 Magazine

Alison Interviews – Kadeem Hardison

Actor and director Kadeem Hardison is known for his iconic TV role as Dwayne Wayne on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom A Different World, which aired for seven seasons, from 1987 through 1993, and highlighted the lives and relationships of Black college students attending the fictional HBCU, Hillman College. The show also starred Lisa Bonet, Marisa Tomei, Jasmine Guy, Sinbad, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cree Summer, and Darryl M. Bell, among others.

Kadeem went on to play Zendaya’s father in Disney Channel’s K.C. Undercover, and to recur in Showtime’s Black Monday. Hardison will now star in the upcoming AMC television series, Moonhaven, which takes place 100 years in the future in a utopian society set on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the Moon.

The following are excerpts from the latest episode of the Allison Interviews podcast with host and entertainment journalist, Allison Kugel, interviewing Kadeem Hardison. Hardison talks about his relationships with Lisa Bonet, Marisa Tomei and Jasmine Guy, directing Tupac Shakur and Jada Pinkett Smith together, his friendship with Zendaya, and wishing Malcolm X were alive while he was growing up. The full podcast episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and the video episode of the podcast is available on YouTube

On Lisa Bonet confiding in him about how early fame affected her

“I had worked with Lisa [Bonet] the year before A Different World.  I did a guest spot on The Cosby Show and I was just really interested to know how she dealt with the fame thing. She was probably the most famous person I had ever met at that point. So, our conversations were me asking her, ‘So what’s it like with that big spotlight on you everywhere you go.’  She said, ‘Well, you know, I used to love to go to malls and I don’t go to malls anymore. I used to love to go out to the movies and I can’t do that anymore.’  It was all about these things that were kind of restricted, or she restricted herself from, because it brought so much attention. She was someone I was gaining knowledge from. Then on A Different World, I got to pretend to have a crush on Lisa, which was the easiest job in America.” 

On having a crush on Jasmine Guy as soon as they met

“I met Jasmine the year before [A Different World].  We did a film together. Our characters didn’t speak, but in the down time we kind of got to hang out a little bit and be at parties and stuff like that. Oh boy, I had a crush on Jasmine the minute I saw her. When I met Jasmine [Guy] it was an instant skipped heartbeat. Once Lisa was gone, I got to pretend to fall in love with Jasmine (on A Different World).”

On Marisa Tomei’s character being the only white character on A Different World

“[Marisa] was cast before I got there. Usually when you make a show, you better have some white characters in it (laugh), or someone is going to raise hell. Someone is going to say, ‘Why are there no white folks on it?’  It’s a historically Black university. Black being the operative word. But I loved her character.  I was sad when she was gone in the second season.” 

On Marisa Tomei and Kadeem wanting their A Different World characters to get together

“During the first season she and I both lobbied to the writers to put us together. Let us have more scenes together. Let something develop between us. Like why doesn’t she see him? Why doesn’t he see her?  It just seemed so obvious that the two weirdest outcasts would kind of find each other. I thought our characters were kind of made for each other, because she was kind of off, and I was definitely off. I thought, ‘Nobody sees him out of the group.’ Like the girls that I’m chasing all the time; nobody sees him.  Why doesn’t she see him and why doesn’t he see her?  They seemed like they could bond off of their uniqueness, or the fact that they are both a little bit off. But at the time it was ‘let’s keep the blacks with the black, and the whites with the whites.’ It’s crazy.”

On directing Jada Pinkett Smith and Tupac Shakur together on A Different World

“It was fantastic. They had a seamless chemistry.  How do you direct De Niro and Pacino?  You just kind of stand back and let them go. You hope that the cameras are in focus. I didn’t really have to tell him much.  I didn’t have to tell her hardly anything. It was a joy to watch.  It was probably the easiest directing job. The fight scene we had to tweak a little bit.  We had to work on it, because it was a fight between Jada’s character’s current boyfriend and Pac’s character.  So, we had to spend some time working that out, but once I said ‘Action,’ it took on a life of its own. It felt like a real fight. It felt like a real brawl, and that was Pac.  That was him going in, like, ‘I’m going to whoop this sucker.’ It was awesome to direct the two of them.  They were good buds and I kept asking her, ‘Is he going to show up? Because I have lots of rapper friends and I knew that [being on] time is not their friend?  She said, ‘Yes, he’s coming. He’s on his way.’

“I always felt like I loved Tupac as a rapper, but I was jealous of him as an actor, because I just thought he had such range. He could touch places that I didn’t know if I could go. I just wanted to watch.  But it wasn’t Macbeth, you know what I mean?  He’s playing the neighborhood cat that comes in full of bravado to claim the girl he thinks is his. He was like, ‘Yeah, I can do that.’  (laugh). [Jada] was playing the girl who was trying to get away from that life. There were no real notes for them. There was no reason to say, ‘Hey try it like this.’ Everything they did was magic.”

On almost turning down playing Zendaya’s dad in Disney Channel’s K.C. Undercover

“When K.C. Undercover came along, I didn’t really know who Zendaya was and I was a little skeptical about [the] Disney Channel.  I wanted to curse, bleed, and do all kinds of adult stuff, and that’s not going to happen with the Disney Channel. When I got word of the audition I was in New York and my nieces and my sisters were asking me, ‘What are you doing next?’  I said, ‘Well, there’s this show with this girl named Zendaya or something like that, and they want me to be her daddy.’ Everyone from my six-year-old niece to my 30-year-old sister all flipped out and said, ‘You have to take that. That girl is going to be something!’”

On celebrating with Zendaya when she landed her role in Spider-Man

“She’s my ace, and all of these moves she’s made have been really well thought out.  I was there when she booked Spider-Man and we jumped around the room like, ‘Holy sh*t, you’re going to be in Spider-Man? What?!’ And I was there when she got the musical with Hugh Jackman, The Greatest Showman. I knew that once we get out of Disney world, we just want to get a chance to get our hands on some meat, to see if we can really act, because we’ve been doing nice, easy cotton candy for so long. I have to see if I can really throw down still.  Her show, Euphoria was it, and I’m loving it!”

On why he wishes Malcolm X was alive while he was growing up

“Once you die, you become a god, but I think if he was still around, the teaching would have reached more.  He would have had to grow, change, and adapt.  All of that would have made him better, and us better, for having him. He would have been able to import that into us. It’s hard to say, because now he is It. He’s the one you look to and say, ‘This is what this guy said,’ or ‘This is what he was saying,’ but you never get to hear what he would have said had he lived another 10, 20, or 30 years. That’s where it would have gotten groovy, because I think he was gone before I was born. It would have been nice to see him as a real person instead of this god that you have to read about in books, or look at on old tapes from the time that he was living, and not the times we’re living in. In my 20s, I would have liked to know what he thought about the world we were living in. In my 40s, I would have liked to know what he thought about the world we are in. That’s the version of things I would want.”

Hayley Strichman, Marvel, for use by 360 Magazine

MARVEL’S WASTELANDERS: BLACK WIDOW

The next chapter of Marvel’s Wastelanders scripted podcast series is set to premiere on Monday, January 10. Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow was announced on December 20, 2021, by Marvel Entertainment and SiriusXM.

The story of Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow is set 30 years following The Day the Villains Won (also referred to as V-Day). Helen Black arrives to what used to be known as Midtown Manhattan at her new apartment The Onar. The Onar is a 161-story apartment complex owned and operated by S.H.I.E.LD., exemplifying capital and inequality that has inhabited New York City since V-Day. The most elite families live in the highest ten stories of the Onar, also known as the DecaDomes. Helen resides in what is known as “100 Block.” Helen suggests that she moved to the area due to “problems with an ex…”.

Lisa Cartwright starts her first day as a Junior Residential Security Analyst for Panopticog Solutions, a private security company hired by S.H.I.E.L.D. that watches over the residents of The Onar, the same day that Helen moves into the apartment. Lisa’s job includes monitoring Helen’s section of The 100 Block, and she uncovers that Helen is not who she says she is. Listen to the series teaser HERE.

The 10-episode scripted podcast Marvel’s Wastelanders: Black Widow stars Susan Sarandon as Helen Black, including performances by Eva Amurri, Nate Corddry, Amber Gray, Melissa Gilbert, Chasten Harmon, Michael Imperioli and Justin Kirk. The series is written by Alex Delyle, directed by Timothy Busfield and features sound design and original music by Daniel Brunelle.

The series will be available on the SXM App and Marvel Podcasts Unlimited on Apple Podcasts at first. Episodes will then be available on week after on Pandora, Stitcher and all major podcast platforms in the U.S. Learn more at marvel.com/wastelanders.

JasonBently shot by MarkLeibowitz for 360 Magazine

The Backstory with Jason Bentley

The Backstory is brought to you by 101 Studios in partnership with Soho House and D’USSÉ Cognac.

Tune in to hear Episode 8 of The Backstory hosted by Jason Bentley, a special solo season finale episode featuring actor and 2021 Golden Globe nominee Jim Parsons (HOLLYWOOD, BOYS IN THE BAND). Watch episode clips HERE.

Bentley, former host of KCRW’s award-winning program Morning Becomes Eclectic, invites listeners to candid conversations between the innovators and creatives who shape our culture. The guests thinkers, artists and tastemakers from across the worlds of film, music, politics and beyond reveal what drives and inspires them through never-before-told stories about their personal histories and the projects that brought them professional acclaim. The Backstory’s first episode peaked at #25 on Apple Podcasts and was featured by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, People, Good Morning America, E!, and more!

The Backstory is brought to you by 101 Studios in partnership with Soho House, with the support of D’USSÉ Cognac. Sullivan Doh, D’USSÉ’s global brand ambassador and premier mixologist, will create custom cocktails inspired by episodes from the podcast. Listeners can find the recipes included in the episode descriptions or can watch a step-by-step tutorial on D’USSÉ’s social channels.

Listen Here

Body positivity — a balancing act

By Janna Breslin

Body positivity is a phrase we hear more and more often, lately. It’s a push to alert people—especially impressionable children and teens—that there are many harmful media representations out there, especially for women.

Just as people once wrung their hands over Barbie’s unnatural shape, the Kardashians and other airbrushed social media influencers make certain “desirable” body shapes seem naturally attainable. We’re all guilty of it to a certain extent. Who doesn’t use strategic selfie angles to mask our “imperfections?”

The body positivity movement is aimed at normalizing all body types, rather than focusing on and celebrating only super-ripped Abercrombie and surgically-enhanced Victoria’s Secret models. Realistically, no matter how much we diet and exercise, the majority of humans can’t achieve those standards. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t wear the clothes we enjoy or avoid photos with friends.

But acceptance is a balancing act. We should all recognize that our bodies are constantly changing, and to hold ourselves to impossible ideals is detrimental to our mental health. On the other hand, body positivity isn’t a substitute for physical wellness. Luckily, physical health also comes in a number of different packages.

The push to normalize all body types

Your body image is how you feel about the way you look and feel, when you look in the mirror or at photos of yourself. Healthy body image is not merely not hating the way your body looks, but actively accepting it without trying to change yourself to fit arbitrary standards. For example, if you tell yourself, “I’ll look better once I lose fifteen pounds,” that’s not a healthy body image—even if you actually need to lose that weight to be healthy. In fact, it can actually promote unhealthy behaviors.

Body positivity initially started as a plus-size movement, and has grown more inclusive over time. The movement includes people of any shape, size, gender, race and physical ability (or disability). The point is to challenge the way society presents the physical “ideal” in pop culture, media, and more. That ranges from putting plus (or even average)-size models in ads to workout videos hosted by plus-size yogis.

How acceptance can help you stay healthy

For some people, the idea that you can be healthy and physically active, even if you’re plus-sized, is nothing short of revolutionary. Of course, there’s plenty of blowback—detractors accuse body positivity advocates of “glorifying obesity.” Since the movement is diverse, you may come across conflicting options from different sources. The key is that weight stigma hurts your mental health—and when you’re struggling emotionally, it’s that much harder to get fit and enjoy life.

Judith Matz, a clinical social worker cautions people not to put off activities until they reach a certain weight or fitness goal. The key to body acceptance (and staying or getting fit) is to continue to practice healthy behaviors regardless of your current size. When you consistently get the message that you’re not worthy of taking a barre class while you’re thirty pounds overweight, or you can’t wear a crop top until you’re perfectly toned, you’re more likely to give up.

That’s how body positivity can help: it reminds us that we all have the right to exist in and enjoy our bodies just as they are, right now. That includes engaging in healthy exercise and enjoying balanced nutrition.

Body positivity is no substitute for physical wellness

With that said, body positivity isn’t a substitute for physical health. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be a physically fit person at a higher weight. As long as you and your doctor are happy with your fitness and body size, healthy bodies really do come in all shapes and sizes.

The key is to balance the mental health benefits of body acceptance with physical fitness. You don’t have to be the “perfect” BMI (and in fact, research suggests that is an outdated metric) with ripped abs and biceps to be healthy or to love your body. However, if you struggle to get off the couch and get any physical activity at all, chances are you could stand to get back into fighting shape. You wouldn’t be alone, either. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are struggling now than ever—which feeds right back into negative body image.

The goal for everyone should be to accept ourselves as we are—works in progress—and prioritize our physical fitness over whether we fit into arbitrary aesthetic standards. When we do that, we make healthier decisions.

Janna Breslin is a well-known fitness model, certified personal trainer, health coach, and
nutrition expert. With Evan DeMarco, she co-founded Complete Human, the new
multi-media platform that takes a deep dive into the areas of mind, body, soul, and planet while
exploring what makes us who we are and what will make us better. Their flagship podcast can be found on all major streaming podcast players including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play, and their namesake streaming video channel is online at YouTube.

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