Body autonomy: Your body, your choice!
Since the viral slogan of My body, my choice, something enlightened many people’s minds. This is where body autonomy takes part in our daily life and leads us to love our choices regarding our bodies. What is body autonomy? Do you know it? Do you think it is only a feminine movement? In this article, we will answer all your questions about body autonomy.
What is body autonomy?
Body or bodily autonomy simply means my body is mine! I decide how it looks, how I care for it, and how I like to look. Body autonomy means what I choose for my body is only related to me, and no one has the right to take part in these choices.
In other words, body autonomy refers to the right of an individual to have control over their own body and make decisions regarding their own health and well-being without interference from others. This includes the right to make decisions about medical treatment, reproductive choices, and personal lifestyle choices. It is a fundamental human right protected by law in many countries.
Suppose you believe you have the right to make changes in your body as you wish, and anyone else is also allowed to do this without concern about the social aspect. In that case, you are following body autonomy perfectly.
Why is body autonomy important?
Body autonomy is important because it recognizes and respects an individual's right to self-determination, privacy, and freedom from coercion. Factors such as personal values, beliefs, and preferences are the main things that lead us to body choices, and once it is not regarded, it is known to be coercion.
Bodily autonomy allows individuals to make decisions about their own bodies. It becomes especially important in specific matters such as reproductive health, where they should have the right to make choices about their bodies without interference from the government or other outside entities. Additionally, body autonomy promotes people's dignity and empowerment, allowing them to take control of their own lives and make the best decisions for them.
So, simply, body autonomy is important because it gives us freedom and the right to choose what we truly want.
Body autonomy principles
The main body autonomy principles lie beyond 3 concepts:
Agency
Independence
Rationality
But these could be developed into 5 elements as below:
Self-determination: Everyone has the right to make decisions about their own bodies based on personal values, beliefs, and preferences.
Privacy: When it comes to their own bodies and medical information, every person has the right to have privacy for it.
Freedom from coercion: As mentioned, the choices are made by the body owner so that nobody is allowed to force others to make decisions about their bodies that they do not want to make.
Empowerment: Body autonomy promotes individual dignity and empowerment, allowing individuals to take control of their own lives and make decisions that are best for them.
Respect: Body autonomy recognizes and respects the individuality of each person and acknowledges that everyone has the right to make decisions about their own bodies.
Body autonomy examples
There are various body autonomy examples, such as:
Choosing to use birth control or not
Deciding whether or not to have children
Making decisions about one's own medical care, such as choosing to undergo surgery or not
Deciding to transition to a different gender identity
Choosing to engage in consensual sexual activity or not
Deciding to terminate a pregnancy
Making choices about one's appearance, such as tattoos, piercings, or cosmetic surgery
Choosing to wear certain clothing or not, regardless of societal norms or expectations
Deciding to practice a certain religion or not
Making choices about one's own mental health care, such as seeking therapy or taking medication.
However, we would like to get deeper into 3 of the most common body autonomy examples we may face in our everyday life:
1.The period monsters
Despite the natural process of the body, menstrual shame spreads all over the world. It is not something under control, but women always are blamed and rejected. Not being allowed to sit with others, touch food, or be present in particular sites are just brief examples of menstruating people's experiences.
The period is like an exclusive club; all menstruating people must obey unwritten roles. In addition, period related such as control, concealment, and halting products treats menstruation as an issue to be solved.
While body autonomy tends to reclaim this narrative, it expresses that we can stop menstruating to define womanhood or gender and start appreciating our bodies without thinking about how our period is.
2. Attitudes are important
Research shows women apologize more than men, even when it is not their fault! It is said that’s because women have a lower threshold for attitudes that require apologizing. Another reason is women are often socialized to be more polite and accommodating than men. This means they may feel the need to apologize more frequently, even when it's not necessary.
Other factors, such as feeling more pressure to maintain positive relationships and avoid conflict, fear of being judged, etc., could impact this attitude. To overcome this behavior, you can:
Ensure it is necessary to say sorry before apologizing.
Express your feelings and thoughts without apologizing, as you have the right to do so.
3.Healthy and beautiful, as you decide
Girls passing their teenage years are always said: women are fragile, they may look older sooner than men, so they must always care for their beauty and health to look fresh and young. Women should not be fat to be lovely! But are these correct? Of course not! Beauty relies on your health; as long as you care for your health the way you want, you are beautiful.
To forget these narratives, you need to start by educating yourself:
Learn more about your body's needs and nourish it the way best suits it. You can search for body functions and learn more about your body mass.
Look at how your body reacts to different nutrients. Sometimes you might not feel better by having a cup of coffee; sometimes, a cup of coffee makes your day.
Don't forget vitamins. If you cannot eat vitamins through food, then take vitamin pills based on your needs.
Have your beauty routine. Care for your skin the way you find it convenient.
Women’s bodies, women’s choices
When it comes to body autonomy, women are at the end of this point! In many nations, there are wrong beliefs about women’s bodies.
Women don’t wear like this
Women should not cut their hair too short
Women don’t eat too much
Women should not be skinny
Women should marry at a specific age
Women can’t follow specific sports or activities
Women should act normal on their period
Women should look neat anytime
Etc.
These are all things we may hear around the world; now, it is time to help every nation grow about this idea. Women’s bodies are women’s choices, and they have the right to decide how to look, wear, and live.
Menstrual shame? Time to change your mind
Menstrual shame is a social taboo surrounding menstruation, where individuals are made to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or dirty because of their menstrual cycle. This can lead to feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and a reluctance to talk openly about menstruation. In the short-term, these effects can be resolved once the period cycle is done, but in the long-term, it can impact the overall lifestyle of a woman.
Some women lost their self-esteem and self-confidence due to menstrual shame, leading them to depression, which resulted in leaving education; any activity made them feel better and even kept them away from daily routines in society.
But it is time to change and break this taboo. After trying to change this taboo in every family, the media can be the best place to start a social action about menstrual shame. By simple ads such as best period underwear or some ads related to period hygiene, like best organic tampons, organic pads, etc.
Believe it or not, by making a change about menstrual shame, millions of women can have a normal life, enjoying their bodies and natural changes in their life.
What do children need to know about body autonomy?
Once you start teaching your children about body autonomy, we can ensure the future generation will have a more peaceful mind about this concept. We need to educate children while they grow and mature. There are 7 main things your child needs to know about bodily autonomy, which will cause you to have a huge impact on reclaiming body autonomy for women or even men.
Ensure your child is fully aware of anatomical parts of their body.
Teach them to say no, when they don’t tend to accept something.
Let them know they need to ask for permission when they want to touch someone’s body, or they need to be asked when others want to touch them. This is the processing of teaching your child about the importance of consent and that it is necessary for all physical interactions, even with family members or friends.
Help them figure out the difference between friendly and good and bad touches.
Explain to your child that their body belongs to them and they have the right to decide who can touch them and in what way.
Create an open and approachable environment where your child feels comfortable asking questions and talking about their bodies.
Use age-appropriate books, videos, and resources to help your child understand body autonomy and personal boundaries.
People want to live as they choose!
In this article, we reviewed body autonomy's meaning and matters referring to this concept. We also gave you some examples of body autonomy to make you fully understand different occasions, questioning bodies for no reason. Now you know what body autonomy is. Would you like to make a change? Start it from yourself, and forget every negative idea about your body and decisions regarding your body.
