Feminist and Social Justice–Informed Approaches Toward the Enhancement of Positive Embodiment

Abstract

While feminist and social justice perspectives suggest that positive body-anchored experiences are centrally linked to social equity and power, this lens has not been widely embraced within the body image and eating disorders fields. Key elements in feminist- and social justice–informed health promotion approaches to positive embodiment relate to the (a) goals, (b) content, (c) process, and (d) assessment of health promotion interventions. The chapter discusses each of these four key dimensions and related interventions in the field of body image and embodiment. Such approaches can target varied social domains and institutions, all the way from widely disseminated values and laws to specific interventions with schools and families. Further, they can enrich the fields of body image and eating disorders by informing etiological theories of embodied well-being and distress and health promotion initiatives.