Raffela Mancuso on the Body Revolution & Passing the Mic

“When it comes to intersectionality, it is also important to remember that body positivity is for marginalized groups. ”

Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and talk. First, let’s talk about you! 

I am a 24-year-old Psychology student in Alberta. I am a mental health advocate, although I’ve also been called a social media disruptor, and I used to consider myself a body positivity advocate but I don’t associate with that title anymore. I was only diagnosed five years ago [in regards to mental health] even though I have lived with it my entire life, and I decided to start using social media for advocacy two years ago after being turned away from mental health services on campus. I started speaking about mental health on social media, which turned into body image, because everything is so connected.

What are you proud of in your contributions to this movement so far, and how did you decide to make them? 

I would say sharing my own lived experience because talking about mental health is so heavily stigmatized. I am not the only one thinking these things but everyone is so afraid to speak up because of the backlash we will receive. It keeps me going when people message me and tell me they’ve felt the same way or experienced the same things, but never had the courage to say them until now. I don’t want to center myself within the body positivity movement because of the privileges that I do experience. 

I wanted my contribution to be about changing the way we think. Being part of a community feels good and everyone wants the sense of belonging, so I completely understand why people may get upset when I talk about redirecting body positivity back to its original origins…but what people are missing is that you can still love yourself while simultaneously acknowledging this term [body positivity] that we have stolen. We don’t need to steal another thing – we can use another term! A lot of people feel hurt that they can’t ‘join the club’…but you can still go through your own acceptance process and acknowledge what other people are experiencing. Your own self-acceptance journey should not erase more marginalized people in the process. 

Let’s talk more about the body positivity movement and why it is important to acknowledge its origins.

Many people think that being a body positivity advocate is synonymous with self-love or with plus size people in general. It’s important to realize that the body positivity movement was created for more marginalized bodies – especially fat people of color, Black women, queer people, trans people, and people with disabilities. Today the movement is all about self-love and being positive about your body, but originally it was intentioned for equal rights and marginalization. It’s critical to de-center the self when it comes to the body positivity movement and picking another term to incorporate your personal self-love and body acceptance journey. It definitely doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of the movement either – it’s not an ‘or’ situation, it’s an ‘and’ situation! You may face certain challenges and still benefit from other privileges in society that other people do not receive due to their bodies. 

You recently sparked a viral conversation on Instagram by identifying influencers and ‘body positivity’ leaders who are white and thin (or thin-passing) for taking up a lot of space in the body positivity movement. In your words, it was a call in, not a call out, and created powerful conversation with some of the subjects of the call-ins, such as Sarah Nicole Landry (@thebirdspapaya). However, not all high-profile individuals responded. What do we do when this happens? How do we continue supporting these women when it feels like they are ignoring this topic?

I feel like a lot of people feel powerless in this. Something we do not realize is how much power we have in who we follow. By following someone, you are amplifying their voice even more. My biggest thing is if you’re looking at an account and it doesn’t make you feel good about yourself, your morals, your values…unfollow. If you follow someone and you really like their content but maybe they haven’t spoken out on important issues…don’t be complicit. You’re still giving that person power. Vote with your support. These are people’s lifestyles…you’re just encouraging their behavior in that way.

Jameela Jamil is one of the specific high-profile individuals who has yet to respond. What conversation would you like to see from her? 

Honestly, I just wanted to work with her! I wanted a conversation with her to help amplify my own voice because I felt like I wasn’t being heard. We’re in a small corner of the Internet and she has the reach. Let’s get this out into society and make this a conversation that everyone is having. She has said herself that she doesn’t belong to body positivity and body liberation. Maybe we can still get her…

Passing the mic to amplify the voices of women who are not being heard as strongly, especially Black women and women who experience higher levels of discrimination, is an important initiative in this movement. How can people accomplish this?

There is a difference when it comes to people that have a massive platform, but people who don’t still play a huge role. When people are asking me what they can do, and how to pass the mic, asking the question alone is a great start. I comprised a list of people I admired and shared that as a start. Find these accounts and look through to see who you connect with. Don’t just blindly follow. Then share their content and make them visible. Your ideas can be great but someone else may be seeing them and they may have the actual lived experience. 

People who are successful from having ‘digestible’ and ‘palatable’ content –and people who fit into those categories – need to speak up for the people who won’t be listened to. Give THEM the platform, have them do a story takeover, share their posts directly…de-center yourself, and make it about them. A lot of people are concerned about aesthetic because they think that’s what Instagram is all about – everyone is trying to follow the same path – and while it’s been awesome to see people sharing content, it’s important to know that it’s on the backs of Black people, especially Black women. 

There is a constant spew of hate from online trolls and uneducated people who are OK with continuing a hurtful and harmful narrative. How do you manage this? How do we respond to this while simultaneously not becoming overwhelmed by all of the disgusting negativity? 

I’ve cried. There were some massive fitness accounts who posted about me and their followers came for me…at first, I tried to rationalize and have conversations, knowing these are humans, but now I have less patience if people come in with their claws out and I just block and delete.

It really depends on my mental capacity. I had someone who was really upset about my post who struggled with ED. I sent them a voice memo and acknowledged their experience and explained my point further…and that person listened. They came at me with so much hurt, and upon hearing that I recognized them, we started talking and realized that we had the same values…it created something really beautiful.

When it comes to this kind of content, it’s important to ask, “What is your mental capacity at?” If I’m drained, it is so harmful. It really needs to be a matter of what you’re capable of engaging with.

Some people may have a hard time balancing advocacy for the body positivity movement while simultaneously wanting to change their bodies, such as wanting to lose weight or undergoing cosmetic procedures. How should they approach this dichotomy?

That’s in the gray area. I’ve had people say that they would never judge someone in a bigger body but yet recognize their own fatphobia. I still have a lot of days where I feel negativity towards my body but then other days where I don’t. We can start by acknowledging that we’re not perfect and continue learning – especially the more we listen to other’s experiences. This is not a me problem, it’s a societal problem. I’m not alone. If someone is in the self-love realm but still has issues with themselves, start with, “Who profits off of these thoughts and feelings?” If you want weight loss, who profits? Diet culture companies, gyms…there is so much profit off of physical insecurities. 

What do you think is the most important thing for individuals to understand when it comes to intersectionality and its importance within body positivity?

I think people need to learn to sit in their discomfort a little bit. They’re being challenged. Things can be in the gray. You can love your body, you can struggle with your body, and at the same time another person can be harmed because of their own. Someone with thin privilege might experience body shaming and yet they can always fit in an airplane seat comfortably. Your struggles are valid but acknowledge the differences when it comes to actual systemic oppression. There are layers to discrimination and oppression. Thin, white women – ask yourself, who is not being listened to? Remind yourself that your experience is not the only one out there. This is not about shutting down or shutting people up – it’s about bringing more people to be the table. The body positivity movement is currently so filled with white people, and unless they step aside, it won’t benefit those who really need change. 

I had a highlight [on Instagram] called health journey, I thought I was trying to be ‘healthy’. People messaged me and brought it to my attention how harmful this could be, and I deleted it so it didn’t trigger someone else. I sat with the embarrassment and that period in my life and then reflected and committed to learning and moving on and doing better. Having the intention to change is so important. It’s the intention that begins change. 

When it comes to intersectionality, it is also important to remember that body positivity is for marginalized groups. For everyone else, there’s so many other terms to use – body confidence, body acceptance, body neutrality…there’s options!

What are the main problematic assumptions surrounding fatphobia that people can actively start to address? 

I think most importantly, body size does not determine health, and health does not determine worth. A thinner body does not mean better. You are just treated better by society, but it does not mean worth.  Identify where these messages of worth tied to our bodies are coming from, and who profits off of them. Body image is engrained. People need to sit in their discomfort and that will not kill them. 

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Anna Luo is an American traveler/writer currently teaching English in Europe. Her writing portfolio can be found here. She am fairly new to freelance writing and am most passionate about writing on feminism, reproductive health care access, vulnerable feelings, and environmental responsibility. Her Instagram can be found here.