Since the explosion of social media, the body positivity movement has been at the forefront of our appearance-focused society, evolving alongside the way we use these online platforms. It’s a popular mindset, but these campaigns of self-love may be overlooking negative psychological effects.
In short, body positivity is the outlook that one must love their appearance and size for what it is, no matter what, and I believe we should reject this idea (I sound awful right now, but hear me out!)
In Psychology Today, Heather Widdows, a professor at the University of Birmingham, explains why the body positivity movement is not the answer to problems such as body-shaming: “Being confident is not enough to change how people respond when we don’t fit the ideal. Real change is not about how individuals feel, but about how society treats bodies.”
Body positivity doesn’t change the way we see ourselves on days we don’t feel good about our bodies and the ideals that embody this concept might not always represent every kind of body; therefore we tend to reject it, Widdows argues.
Body neutrality takes the focus away from what your body looks like and instead makes you think about how your body functions as an extension of your character. Healthline explains body neutrality as a notion that “empowers you to appreciate the unique abilities of your body and value it for what it does, instead of criticizing flaws others have pointed out or worrying about how other people see you.”
With all that I’ve learned from this movement, here are 5 reasons why body neutrality can be more rewarding than body positivity:
1. You no longer associate your self-worth with your appearance
While the body positivity movement prioritizes physical appearance, body neutrality reframes this idea and moves away from the need to uphold a beauty standard. It instead inspires acceptance of the body you’re in and doesn’t demand that you love your looks no matter what.
2. You focus on appreciating your body for the way it functions, not what it looks like to others
Your body moves in all sorts of ways that allow you to do what makes your soul feel good. Cherishing your body’s ability to keep you going takes any judgments that others make about your appearance out of the equation. Although negative thoughts about your appearance will likely arise, realize that you’re working to get to a place of complete comfort with that aspect of yourself, but that your body can do so much more than you think.
3. You realize that your body belongs to you and no one else
You’re responsible for treating your body with kindness. This could mean eating intuitively if you’re feeling hungry, not because you’re deliberately cutting back on calories; or exercising to feel energized, not to lose weight. These objectives are to satisfy your body’s needs, and not the physical ideals of others.
4. You don’t feel like you’re lying to yourself
I chatted with Kenslie Morrison, a Montreal-based health and fitness influencer, to get a second opinion. She says that since coming out of the heavily appearance-focused dance industry, expressing body neutrality has helped her immensely.
“I don’t feel the need to scream affirmations at myself every time I walk past a mirror, especially since I never really found they helped,” Morrison explains. “When I walk past a mirror, my inner comments depend on how I’m feeling that day, but they are always honest comments with myself.”
5. You start to focus on your achievements and how your body has gotten you to where you are now
Many people can feel resentment in telling themselves that their body is perfect the way it is, only to feel betrayed by this notion. As another example from Morrison, she says she makes sure to focus on what matters to her most.
“When I start leaning a little bit more to the negative extremity of the body image scale, I simply remind myself that I did so much to get here,” she says. “I remind myself that as a woman, it’s normal for my weight to fluctuate every month, I remind myself of mentally where I used to be, I remind myself that my body is doing its best and I’m doing my best.”
Body neutrality doesn’t always work for everyone. It can take time to reach either side of the spectrum, whether you believe more in body positivity or the concept that the body is simply a vehicle for the soul. You know yourself best, and whichever self-perception mindset makes you happiest will be the right one for you.