We are at a crucial moment in reshaping how we approach health education for youth. Considering the rise of mental health complications, the strong influence of social media, the continuing to rise of eating disorders, and the intensifying push for weight-reducing drugs, our youth are experiencing increasingly high pressures and misinformation regarding their physical and mental health. By embracing a body liberation approach, we can foster healthier relationships with our bodies and shift away from harmful, restrictive narratives that often dominate traditional health education.  

What is Body Liberation? 

Body liberation is the freedom from social and political systems of oppression that designate certain bodies as more worthy, healthy, and desirable than others (Lindsey Ashline). Health is multi-dimensional, and the body liberation movement focuses on dismantling oppressive ideas about bodies and embracing a more holistic approach to health and wellness. It calls for the acceptance of all bodies, recognizing that health and well-being can be experienced in many forms. By embracing body liberation, we can help disentangle youth from the harmful and stigmatizing narratives that dictate what a “healthy” body should look like and empower them to make choices that support their mental and physical well-being. 

As educators, we can incorporate body liberation principles into our health education curriculum to support youth in developing healthier, more inclusive and affirming views of themselves and others. This approach is centered on autonomy, freedom, and respect for every individual’s body. 

Body Liberation is an Intersectional Issue  

Mainstream health education often focuses on weight loss and restrictive diets, reinforcing harmful stereotypes that link health with appearance and promote disordered eating. Narratives about weight fluctuation, food and physical activity, and scientific and public-facing language contribute to weight stigma and often ignore other social determinates of health. Health is more than just a personal state—it’s a sociopolitical construct shaped by the values and power structures of society. 

Right now, our dominant understanding of health is deeply influenced by white supremacy, anti-Black racism, ableism, and healthism. In her powerful book Fearing the Black Body, Dr. Sabrina Strings illuminates how the roots of anti-fat bias stem from racialized and dehumanizing views of Black bodies, particularly Black women’s bodies. As we move toward a society grounded in collective liberation, we have a critical opportunity to rethink and redefine what health truly means. 

The Center for Body Trust advocates for health and well-being as individualized experiences that prioritize self-trust and holistic care. When we teach youth to respect their bodies through health education and the medical system, young people learn to make choices that honor their needs without fear or shame while also learning to respect and honor the diversity and variances of bodies in our world. 

Key Principles to Embrace Body Liberation  

• Dismantle Anti-Fat Bias: The deeply entrenched anti-fat bias in media, health policies, and everyday interactions is harmful and rooted in prejudice. Teaching youth about the impact of anti-fat bias can help them understand the ways in which society’s harmful beliefs about bodies impact mental and physical health.  
• Embrace Size-Inclusive Healthcare: The Health at Every Size (HAES) framework and Size Inclusive Medicine initiative calls for healthcare that respects and includes individuals of all body sizes. When we teach youth about healthcare, we help them understand that their health journey is personal and that all people, regardless of their weight, body shape and size, have the right to pursue health, however that may look for each individual. 
• Promote Self-Love and Self-Trust: Health education should teach youth that health is not a destination defined by numbers on a scale, but an ongoing journey defined by self-love and self-care. A body liberation lens allows for a focus on cultivating body trust and health at every size. 

Taking a Body Liberation Approach to CSHE
Objective	Example in Learning Environment
Challenge Harmful Health Narratives: Move away from weight-focused discussions. Teach youth to focus on how to make choices that nourish their bodies, regardless of size.	Many people assume that a higher weight automatically means poor health, but is that really the case? This is a great opportunity to explore the principle of ‘correlation does not equal causation. Epidemiology helps us understand population trends, but it doesn’t tell us everything about an individual’s health. What other factors like access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, genetics, stress, and discrimination might influence health outcomes beyond body size? How does our definition of health extend beyond just physical well-being? By questioning these assumptions, we can better understand the social determinants of health and work toward reducing anti-fat bias in public health and healthcare settings.
Break the “Good” or “Bad” Food Labels: Food should not be labeled as “good” or “bad” based on arbitrary standards. Incorporating food neutrality into lessons can help young people decide what is best to nourish their bodies while celebrating their own cultural connections to food. Unfortunately, food outside the dominate Western culture often face unjust criticism simply because they don’t conform to the stereotypical idea of health “food.”	Have young people discuss if they’ve ever heard someone say a food is “bad” or “unhealthy”. Have they been told that eating certain foods is ‘cheating’ or that some meals are “clean” while others are not? Reflect on who decides these labels, and are they really based on health or something else? Practice talking about food in a neutral way by providing examples and sentence stems
Create Inclusive Classrooms: Ensure that your health curriculum includes diverse representations of bodies, especially those that have been marginalized. Make space for diverse voices and experiences.	Show young people images from health textbooks, public health campaigns, or media depictions of “healthy bodies.” Ask: What do you notice about the body types, races, abilities, and genders represented? Who is missing?
Encourage Critical Thinking: Help students critically assess societal messages about health, beauty, and fitness. Discuss how media, cultural messages, and historical legacies have shaped our views on bodies.	Using resources like the Weight Centered vs. Weight Inclusive Chart, have young people analyze common health messages (e.g., “obesity epidemic” vs. “all bodies deserve care”) and discuss how language and assumptions impact healthcare experiences. Encourage them to brainstorm ways healthcare providers can ensure every patient feels valued, respected, and included.
Foster Body Respect: Teach students to respect their own bodies and those of others. Encourage the idea that all bodies are worthy of love and respect, no matter their shape, size, or physical ability.	Have students reflect: What are ways you already practice self-care and listen to your body’s needs? Introduce the idea of body trust, and encourage things like listening to hunger cues, resting when needed, and honoring emotions.

Not only are we supporting our young people’s critical thinking, analysis, and awareness of the determinants of health, but we’re also helping them notice and dismantle stigmas that perpetuate harm in our society. By shifting our perspective on health education and teaching youth to liberate their bodies from societal oppression, we are building a more inclusive, healthy, and empowering world for the next generation.