Body positivity is a movement created by Black women to celebrate and advocate for marginalized bodies. (For more on this history, check out The Joy Project’s article, “The Black, Femme History of the Body Positive & Fat Liberation Movement”) Over time, the term has reached a broader audience—bringing healing to many, but also diluting the movement’s original intent.
At BPFA, we recognize that “body positivity” means different things to different people. Each person’s relationship to the term is shaped by their identities, experiences, and levels of privilege. That’s why we approach this work with nuance, empathy, and a focus on action.
If you’ve landed here looking at our courses, it likely means you care about making the fitness industry more inclusive and accessible. That’s our mission too. Whether you’re just starting your journey into body positivity, body neutrality, or fat liberation—or you’ve been doing this work for a while—we’re here to support you.
Our Onramp to Inclusive Fitness Practices Course is a great starting point for those new to this work. If you’ve been around for a bit, you may find some familiar themes, but we hope our action-focused coaching tools and the support of our BPFA Pro network will deepen your impact.
Want to dive even deeper? We highly recommend checking out the work of Fitness 4 All Bodies, Decolonizing Fitness, The Body Is Not an Apology, and The Fat Lip podcast—just to name a few changemakers in this space.
No matter where you fall on the spectrum of body positivity, BPFA is here to help you grow—and to connect you with the incredible community already out there changing the face of fitness.
Welcome. We’re so glad you’re here.
