Readjusting the Scales: Striking a Balance Between Body Neutrality and Body Positivity

At this time of year, many individuals begin thinking of getting into better shape to kick off the New Year. While this always remains a laudable goal, it often goes awry, leading some down a dangerous path of disordered eating and/or striving for a potentially unhealthy and unattainable size. Do your clients display such tendencies? Do they subscribe to the notion of body positivity, or embracing their bodies regardless of shape, size, color, gender or ability? Maybe they prefer taking a stance on body neutrality, which focuses on appreciating the amazing things that their bodies can do.

The Movement Gains Momentum

According to psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, “In a larger context, body positivity is a social movement that advocates for the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender or physical abilities.” She adds that this movement challenges unrealistic beauty standards and ideals. “The central concept is the idea that beauty is constructed by society and it should not determine someone’s self-worth or value.”

Whose Perception Really Matters?

For decades, we have allowed society to dictate the parameters of beauty and female desirability. From “flawless make-up” adds to Victoria’s Secret catalogues, we began to adopt the ideal of thinness and youth, at all costs. We know inherently that this presents an unrealistic viewpoint for a significant portion of the population, yet the quest and ideology persist.

As online interactions took a meteoric rise in the late 1990’s, so too did body shaming and even cyberbullying. While it seemed that society wanted those individuals with excess flesh on their frames to withdraw from the world, self-proclaimed “fat activists” and their followers chose instead to make themselves heard and seen. By celebrating their shapes online, others found support and empowerment to embrace their true selves.

Remaining Neutral to the Mirror

In 2015, Anne Poirier, a body-image coach and the author of “The Body Joyful,” coined the term body neutrality in an effort to help her clients cultivate a healthier, more in-depth relationship to food and exercise. She defines the term simply as placing the body’s function over its looks. “Body neutrality prioritizes the body’s function, and what the body can do, rather than its appearance,” she explained. “You don’t have to love or hate it. You can feel neutral towards it.”

To those individuals who simply cannot yet fully embrace body positivity, Ms. Poirier said that body neutrality resonates strongly. “For me, neutrality was a more accessible steppingstone away from body hatred,” she said. “I didn’t necessarily have to love my body, but I could see it with a different perspective.”

Is the Concept Unrealistic?

We all like to feel good about ourselves, especially when we interact socially with others, whether at a cocktail party or in the gym. However, body positivity can quickly transform into an unrealistic and therefore dangerous viewpoint. “Body positivity is a subset of toxic positivity,” notes Dr. Albers. “Some feel that it blames people for how they feel based on their mindset. It can also push people into trying to feel something that they don’t.”

Granted, the notion of waking up every day loving oneself and one’s appearance does not work for everybody. Dr. Albers points to the fact that “Body positivity wouldn’t even be needed if we appreciated and found all bodies inherently beautiful. Society is reflective of what our culture and environments teach us to believe — to dislike our bodies for so many reasons.”

Acceptance is Hard

Many women struggle with the idea that their value as humans does not rest solely – if at all – on appearance. Truly embracing and outwardly portraying happiness when body dissatisfaction rears its ugly head does not come easily to all of us. Part of the conundrum comes in accepting the role genetics plays, and coming to an understanding that hours in the fitness center may in fact not alter the size of one’s thighs or breasts.

We can encourage our clients who may deal with this dilemma to ask themselves these questions ~

• Do I want my self -worth tied to and defined by my external appearance?
• Do I want to continue this cycle—and potentially pass it on to my daughters?
• What would my life look like if I learned to value myself for what I can do as opposed to what I look like?”

If we learn to ignore that abusive voice that reminds us relentlessly “You are not good enough yet”, think of all the energy we can then put into more productive and positive endeavors.

Ceasing the Comparisons

Body neutrality relies heavily upon one’s ability to embrace mindfulness and a more non-judgmental existence. If one constantly compares himself to others, or how he looked in years gone by, mindfulness can teach how to simply observe one’s own body and abilities, refraining from any aesthetic self-criticism.

Practicing body-neutral statements/mantras can help with this process and allow one to ultimately find peace with his shape. Consider the following ~

• I accept my body as it is.
• My body helps me in many ways.
• How can I honor my body today?
• My body works hard and deserves kindness.
• I am thankful for my body because it does so much for me.
• All bodies are different and that’s totally fine.

Remember, we can do our best to eat healthy food and exercise prudently, refrain from smoking and always wear sunscreen. However, age does have a way of exerting its undeniable influence.

Body neutrality simply forces us to give less importance to day-to-day physical changes and instead recognize all the wonderful attributes of the machine we call the human body.

Function Versus Form

Some people equate a more body neutral approach to their health and fitness with having to relinquish any desire for physical change. However, body neutrality by definition advocates for health, both physical and mental. Remaining body-neutral does not mean change cannot occur; rather, it reinforces that self-worth need not depend upon such change.

Unless one makes his living as a professional athlete, allowing physical prowess and perfection to completely dominate one’s life can make for a lonely and unhealthy existence. Self-imposed starvation and overexercising to achieve an unattainable level of thinness leads to injury and burnout, not to mention a myriad of health concerns. In a similar manner, overeating and avoiding exercise due to self-loathing leads downward into a very dark place. Body neutrality neutral helps one to dial into a more balanced sense of self-care. In this regard, when applied appropriately, body neutrality can have a healthy effect on fitness behaviors.

Swapping Goals

If one’s fitness goals hover entirely upon an aesthetic-centric platform, a body-neutral mindset may require setting a goal that has nothing to do with appearance. Consider the following ~

• Setting strength and performance goals in fitness (such as beating a deadlift PR, or a sprint time)
• Practicing slow, mindful eating, savoring taste, aroma and texture; aim for making meals last at least 20 minutes
• Working to develop a new a skill in the gym, perhaps a pull-up, or an Olympic lift like a clean- and- jerk

Lauren Leavell, a personal trainer and founder of the Leavell Up Fitness platform, explains body neutrality as “a perspective shift that can bring about more realistic goal setting.”

Rather than focusing solely upon that “New Year, New Me” mindset that aften fizzles out by Valentine’s Day, body neutrality allows one to reframe movement as a lifelong endeavor. As Ms. Leavell reminds us, “Bodies change, abilities change, and it’s important to listen to your current body, not what you think you should be able to do.”

In a study conducted in 2018, 203 college -age women participated in a strength and conditioning group fitness class. Some subjects attended a class that featured appearance-focused motivational comments by the instructor. The rest attended a class where the instructor gave function-focused comments. Scientists discovered that those participants in the function-focused class experienced much more body satisfaction and a positive affect than their cohorts. Additionally, those in the function-focused group workout described the class in more positive terms as well as experiencing less body comparing/shaming throughout the class. The motivational comments fitness instructors use may have a notable impact on women’s mood, body satisfaction, and comparisons.

Points to Ponder

“The body-neutral approach leans toward the belief that it doesn’t matter if you think your body is beautiful or not. Your value is not tied to your body nor does your happiness depend on what you look like. A body-positive approach says you are beautiful no matter what. Period,” Dr. Albers explains. We can assist clients in a redirection of thought, to understand that nobody needs a certain body shape/ size to allow joy, beauty and peace into his life. This perspective fosters the development of self-acceptance, while still taking care to ensure positive overall health.

An overview of one’s outlook may feature the following important components. It may require practice to shift a current mindset; keep these points as a handy reminder to incorporate body neutrality into daily life.

• Exercise and eat nutritiously not because it makes me look a certain way but because it feels good.
• Allow time to have treats, but not to excess because that leads to not feeling best about myself.
• Choose to wear clothes that authentically celebrate my appearance, recognizing that how I portray myself externally does not factor into self-worth.
• While not loving all aspects of my body, I can still derive enjoyment from life.
• Broaden my self-concept so it encompasses my values and inherent worth as a person.

References:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/body-positivity-vs-body-neutrality

https://naafa.org

https://www.webmd.com/beauty/what-is-body-neutrality

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-is-body-neutrality#:~:text=If%20you’ve%20been%20overeating,body—regardless%20of%20its%20shape.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/well/move/body-neutrality-exercise.html

https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jcsp/12/4/article-p508.xml