For the past few months, the internet has been speculating at the details of Rebel Wilson's recent weight loss.  And while the Australian actress hasn't publicly confirmed how much weight she has lost, it's been rumored to be around 30 pounds.  Anyone who has tried to lose weight, for reasons of medical or other, can attest that is no small feat.  But in the era of curvy confidence and body positivity, it begs the question, should we still care?

Let's examine why we celebrate weight loss in the first place.  For one, everyone loves a good before and after situation.  And the more dramatic, the better.  It's gratifying, visually satisfying and sometime even inspirational.  Deeper than that however, we're celebrating the idea that this person (or historic craftsman home if you're an HGTV fanatic like us) has been changed for the better. 

And while that's all well and good for inanimate objects, it becomes problematic when applied to the idea of weight loss.  It's been proven time and time again that weight does not necessarily have a direct correlation to health.  Keeping that in mind, it is naive (and quite lazy) to applaud weight loss under the guise that the person is "much healthier now".  There is no way for us, as spectators, to know this for a fact.  So in reality we're celebrating that fact that this person looks "better".

And herein lies the problem: by celebrating weight loss by itself: we're supporting the idea that the closer you are to skinny, the better you are as a person.  This pervasive standard is what the body positive movement is trying to dismantle.  So what place does it have in 2019?

Online, some plus size bloggers refuse to discuss weight loss, diet or fitness (even when they're visibly disappearing before our eyes).  The general idea behind this is that it could be triggering, off-brand and can even alienate them from a segment of their audience who are happy with their current size and thought they followed someone who felt the same way too.  Yes, you read that correctly; some people feel like it's "selling out" when plus size advocates lose weight.



Everyone's individual relationship with their own bodies is an extremely personal one and it's at liberty to change at any moment.  In Rebel Wilson's case, she stated that she struggled with emotional eating and sought out a more healthier lifestyle all around.  Which just happened to result in weight loss.  Recognizing your personal faults and working to correct them?  Now that's something worth celebrating.  If only those click-baity articles would lead with that...

What do you think?  Is it time we stop celebrating weight loss?  Is it possible to be body positive while promoting diet and fitness? 


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Thanks goes out to Style Craze for the comparison pictures