Developing a healthier relationship with your body can be a deeply personal and often challenging process. For many, societal beliefs about appearance make it difficult to feel at peace in their own skin. Fortunately, two empowering movements have emerged to foster greater self-acceptance and self-care: body positivity and body neutrality.

Though different perspectives, they both aim to help us view our bodies and our relationships with them in a different way. Understanding these concepts and exploring how they resonate with you can help guide you toward a better body image.

What is Body Positivity?

The body positivity movement encourages people to love and celebrate their bodies, no matter their shape, size, or appearance. Rooted in activism, body positivity challenges traditional beauty standards and advocates for acceptance, equity, and visibility for all body types. The movement strives to disrupt harmful societal ideals that often exclude people who don’t fit into a thin, white, or able-bodied mold.

At its core, body positivity is about acknowledging your inherent worth and beauty, focusing on self-love, and appreciating your body for all it does for you.

When Body Positivity is Helpful

• It fosters confidence: Body positivity can help you feel more empowered and reclaim parts of yourself that previously you have tried to hide.
• It challenges harmful norms: People often find it liberating to reject societal expectations and redefine their own sense of beauty.
• It encourages self-acceptance: Shifting from self-criticism to self-empowerment can alter how you see yourself and your value.

Potential Drawbacks of Body Positivity

For some, the idea of loving their body might feel out of reach, especially if they’re struggling with severe body dissatisfaction or disordered eating. Trying to force positivity when you don’t feel it can lead to frustration, guilt, or hopelessness. If body positivity feels too lofty of a goal, body neutrality might be a better mindset.

What is Body Neutrality?

Body neutrality takes a step back from focusing on how your body looks and instead emphasizes what it does and how you feel living in it. This approach encourages you to view your body with less extreme feelings (either positive or negative), aiming for a balanced, neutral mindset. Body neutrality teaches that your worth isn’t tied to your appearance, and that it’s okay to not feel great about your body all the time.

Rather than trying to celebrate every detail about your body, body neutrality focuses on accepting it as it is and appreciating its functionality. In their book, “More Than a Body,” Lindsay and Lexie Kite encourage readers to think of their bodies as instruments, rather than objectified ornaments (Kite and Kite, 2019).

When Body Neutrality is Helpful

• It reduces pressure: Body neutrality offers relief from the idea that you “should” love your appearance. It creates space to feel whatever you feel without self-judgment.
• It prioritizes function over form: By focusing on the abilities of your body rather than aesthetics, you can shift away from a fixation on looks.
• It’s accessible during tough times: Body neutrality can be a step when self-love feels unattainable, gently steering you toward acceptance.

Potential Drawbacks of Body Neutrality

For individuals seeking a more celebratory or positive mindset about their body, body neutrality might not feel encouraging enough. It’s a practical approach, but for some, it may lack the emotional uplift they’re looking for in their desired perspective.

A Compassionate Reminder

Whether you lean toward body positivity, body neutrality, or a mix of both, what matters most is how these approaches support your well-being. There’s no right or wrong way to foster self-acceptance, and your path will be unique to you. Give yourself permission to explore and adapt as needed.

If you’re finding it challenging to cultivate a better relationship with your body, consider reaching out to an eating disorder therapist, like myself. We can work together to guide you toward self-acceptance in a way that feels authentic and achievable for you.

Your body deserves kindness, respect, and care—not because of how it looks, but because it’s yours. Healing is a process, and wherever you are in your journey, you are worthy of support and self-compassion.

Kite, Lexie, and Lindsay Kite. More Than a Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament. [Link: Amazon https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Body-Instrument-Ornament/dp/1664783490]