The body positivity movement is one that is on the rise. It’s about loving your body the way it is, no matter what it looks like. Loving your body sounds amazing right? But with body positivity, your body continues to be the focus of attention and the topic of conversation, when you are much more than your body. This is where body neutrality comes in.
Body neutrality offers a more realistic mindset. If we want to be honest, it’s extremely hard to fully love yourself and your body the way it is. With social media constantly showing us unrealistic body standards and influencers promoting misleading weight loss products like diet teas and appetite suppressant lollipops, it’s extremely hard to appreciate what you look like when your body probably isn’t being represented in the media, or the media is telling you you need to change it.
Now don’t get me wrong, the body positivity movement is amazing in its own right. It urges people to practice positive affirmations of self-love, like “I am beautiful” or “I love my body” until you train yourself to really believe it. However, this doesn’t work for some people. The reality is that you probably won’t love your body every single day, and telling yourself that you’re supposed to be loving your body can lead to feeling like you’ve failed because you don’t love it. And that’s totally okay.
With body neutrality, it encourages you to accept the body you have and appreciate it for all the amazing things it does for you, and not what it looks like. A lot of the time, we’re in this very black or white space, where you either love or hate your body. This way, it provides an opportunity for the grey area of acceptance.
Practicing body neutrality can include things like working out because it feels good and you enjoy doing it, not “burn off” food you ate or working out just to change your appearance. This includes taking days off, and knowing when to stop. Wearing clothes that feel good on your body without worrying about how it looks to others and not denying yourself foods that you genuinely like are just small ways of accepting your body and practicing body neutrality.
Each movement provides different needs, as the body positive movement teaches you to value your unique looks, while the other helps refocus your attention on amazing qualities that have nothing to do with your body. Regardless of whether you find the body positive movement or the body neutrality movement more helpful, it’s still important to be kind to your body. Some days you might feel good about your body and other days you might not, but all days it’s important to treat yourself with value and respect.