Supermodel Kim Alexis says body positivity movement can be unhealthy

SPECIAL- As one of the most well-known supermodels of the 1980s, Kim Alexis knows a thing or two about the pressure that comes with meeting beauty standards, but she also sees a dangerous trend among those who eschew those standards altogether.

Throughout her modeling career, Alexis has graced the covers of more than 500 magazines, including Vogue and Glamour, and has appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue six times. She said she knows exactly what a healthy beauty mindset and diet is and what it isn’t, and shares some of her concerns about the body positivity trend. Body positivity is a social movement that promotes acceptance of all body types, regardless of size or appearance. While advocates say it encourages embracing and loving one’s body, critics have warned it increases unhealthy lifestyles and obesity.

“If you think of body positivity as, ‘This is me. This is who I am. I love myself.’ I believe we should all start there,” Alexis told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“Now I’m thinking of going one step further: ‘How can I improve?’ “I focus on the question,” he continued. “‘What could be better? How can I stay healthy or move toward health?’ And I think the difference is that some people accept: ‘This is who I am and I don’t need to change, I’m not changing and I don’t care what society says.’ They can say that, and I think that can be healthy in their mind, at least for self-acceptance and self-love. “But I believe it’s unhealthy if you’re overweight or too skinny and not where your body was designed to be.”

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Alexis found that there was a tension between embracing so-called “self-love” and promoting physical health. He also noted that maintaining one’s health looks different with age.

“I think self-love and self-acceptance is about, how can I move on or how can I improve myself?” he said. “And I think that’s what we need to do and say throughout our lives. I’m in my 60s now, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m not running 10 miles a day, but what can I do to stay healthy? How can I keep moving? What’s good for me in my age group at this point?’ “I think like that.”

A former body positivity influencer recently told The New York Times why she regrets becoming a spokesperson for the movement.

“I’m only five feet tall and at my heaviest I weighed close to 400 pounds,” Gabriella Lascano said. he told the outlet. “I began to wonder if loving myself in any dimension had become an excuse to ignore how much I had grown. I felt like I was essentially being brainwashed. Meanwhile, the language around body positivity started to feel more extreme online.”

Supermodel Kim Alexis is encouraging women to go beyond self-acceptance to actively improve their health, saying body positivity can become unhealthy. (iStock)

In 2023, she released a video denouncing body positivity, saying she felt “guilty” for being part of the movement and adding that “caring about your health is not fatphobia.”

But body positivity advocates such as the Body Positive Alliance say a person’s body “should not be the determinant of self-worth and self-perception” and that everyone, regardless of shape, should have access to the same opportunities.

“People deserve to feel safe and represented by our organization’s messaging, regardless of body type, gender, race, or ability.” the group says on the website.

Usage of Ozempic, which has also been making health headlines over the past few years, has skyrocketed. Alexis told Fox News Digital that it’s difficult to measure how effective the injection is yet because there aren’t enough studies on its long-term effects.

“I think this is a good start for some people who have some glucose and sugar issues,” Alexis said. “I believe people should get their A1C marker checked before continuing with this because it is not… It should not be used as a crutch, it should be used as a supportive tool to get yourself back to being healthy, being active, eating right.”

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He said a good start would be for people to become educated about what they’re putting into their bodies and understand the importance of eating “as clean and healthy as possible.”

Three injectable prescription weight loss medications – Ozempic, Victoza, and Wegovy. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Alexis recalled how much pressure she and her fellow models were under in the 1980s fashion world and compared it to the scrutiny young women face today. But he said it was a matter of how they managed this review.

“Oh my God, the fashion industry was tough no matter what,” she said. “They were always looking for something that could change. I think there were some things you weren’t celebrated for as much as people are now, or they were celebrating themselves.”

Alexis added: “We also put more pressure on ourselves, perhaps more than we do on others. We perceive that there is more pressure, and that causes one of two things: It either pushes you too far to the point where you become a fanatic and that’s all you think about, or it pushes you to better yourself. And as you know, my vote is always for bettering yourself.”

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Alexis has a new podcast set to release in mid-April: “NOT EXPIRED,” will further explore health and wellness topics.

Fox News Digital’s Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report.