• Human beings come in a variety of sizes and shapes.  We celebrate this diversity as a positive characteristic of the human race.
  
• There is no ideal body size, shape, or weight that every individual should strive to achieve.
  
• Every body is a good body, whatever its size or shape.
  
• Self-esteem and body image are strongly linked.  Helping people feel good about their bodies and about who they are can help motivate and maintain healthy behaviors.
  
• Appearance stereotyping is inherently unfair to the individual because it is based on superficial factors which the individual has little or no control over.
  
• We respect the bodies of others even though they might be quite different from our own.
  
• Each person is responsible for taking care of his/her own body.
  
• Good health is not defined by body size; it is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being.
  
• People of all sizes and shapes can reduce their risk of poor health by adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Source:  Fact sheet developed by dietitians and nutritionists who are advocates of size acceptance; their efforts coordinated by Joanne P. Ikeda, MA, RD, Nutrition Education Specialist, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA   94720-3104.  Comments regarding these tenets may be sent to jikeda@garnet.berkeley.edu  (7/96)

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