Body neutrality is a new movement that was coined a few years ago as a counter movement to the body positivity movement. However, did the body positivity movement not already advocate for “always loving your body”? I must say that both movements can intertwine, but there are many factors that differentiate them. Body neutrality is self-explanatory, meaning that it champions being neutral towards your body and appreciating it. On the other hand, body positivity glamourizes all bodies and claims that people should always love their bodies regardless of anything else. It had been an agitator for immense toxic positivity towards the body, which can be a huge detriment to mental and physical health.
The Flaws of the Body Positivity Movement
A copious number of flaws come within this movement. It has faced criticism for many cons that it can lead to. Firstly, it has rendered that people constantly ignore the medical aspects of their body. For instance, “loving your body unconditionally” can lead to obesity, which is directly connected to diabetes, heart diseases, and eating disorders. Many medical professionals claim that there is a healthy weight and unhealthy weight, which is different from just being “skinny” or “fat”. By looking at someone, you cannot directly identify whether they are healthy or not. Also, this movement equates self-worth to the body, disregarding other facets that literally make them a fully-fledged human being. People will have this daunting obsession with their appearance. This heralds anxiety and depression, which corroborates how mental health can be corelated to appearance.
What Exactly is Body Neutrality?
Body neutrality endorses the notion of what your body is capable of doing rather than its own appearance. It emphasizes on the importance of appreciating your body. No human can always just “love their body”, so the “love your body” posts on social media are literally futile since they are very nonsensical in that regard. One should not feel coerced to look in the mirror and say “my body is beautiful” if they do not truly believe in it. One should appreciate this one entity that transports them from one place to another, endures hardships, and holds our biological systems for us. A way to appreciate your body is to just go on a walk for ten minutes every day. This is a very simple yet substantial way of giving your body the love it needs. Additionally, this movement elucidates that we are intricate and multifaceted humans that cannot be summed up by just our bodies. Our bodies are a piece that complement the humungous puzzle that makes us human. Even if one does not like their body, they can contemplate a way of treating this body with tenderness to show gratitude towards it. This is also conducive to a healthy lifestyle and immense mindfulness.
How They Can Go Hand-in-hand
Some might agree that both go hand-in-hand and that they are not mutually exclusive. Body positivity can proliferate self-esteem while body neutrality can bolster self-appreciation. Also, body positivity encourages others to love their body, but body neutrality encourages gratitude towards the body. Overall, a continuum or a spectrum where body neutrality and body positivity are on opposite ends can be a feasible measurement of how much one practices either of them. Realistically, a person cannot be on any end. However, one can integrate some ideologies of each or even hardly believe in one of them. People can express their fondness or appreciation for their bodies in distinct manners meaning that there is not a specific exclusive path anyone should follow. Hence, the map for both movements was laid out for everyone. It is up to you to carefully pick your compass.