Body Neutrality vs. Body Positivity
To be clear, body neutrality is not interchangeable with body positivity. The body positivity movement, while rooted in great intention, encourages the celebration of your external appearance, whereas body neutrality emphasizes that your core value has nothing to do with your external appearance at all. That you can respect and honor your body, even on days when you don’t “love” what you see in the mirror.
Body Positivity
According to research in the Body Image Journal, even the most well-intentioned sentiments to love how you look can be detrimental. These messages often unintentionally add pressure to maintain a “perfect” body image at all costs. This can then lead to shame and lower self-esteem, making you feel even worse. The researchers also found that women, in particular, view falling short of body positivity (not being able to feel positive about their body) as a sign of failure or weakness.
Body Neutrality
Body neutrality isn’t about compliance with an inauthentic or performative brand of self-love. You don’t have to repress those nuanced, complex emotions associated with your body image. Those feelings are normal, natural, and almost impossible to eliminate in our image-heavy world.
Rather, you can acknowledge them with compassion and curiosity, then move forward with the reassurance that none of this defines you. Through the framework of body neutrality, that feeling has no power to dictate your sense of worth—whether positive or negative. You can be mindfully aware of what comes to the surface when you look in a mirror without letting those sensations reinforce self-critical narratives and harmful behaviors.
