Body Neutrality: Not a Love/Hate Relationship
By: Juliana Wilhelmy
Growing up, seeing my Mom complete Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, and a plethora of other types of fad diets specifically marketed toward women, food was always at the forefront of my mind for as long as I can remember. I can recall shows all over the television like the Biggest Loser or Supersize vs. Superskinny as a child, were speaking about someone’s weight, appearance, and food intake was shamed and emotionally charged, but also completely normalized. Having this as a standard form of entertainment can immediately shift your mindset to constantly thinking about your food intake, exercise, and the way your body looks because that is what you see as an example on American media all of the time. I can remember being aware of how my body looked as young as 8 years old and this is not exclusive to myself: “34% to 65% of girls aged 5 years had ideas about dieting,” (Abramovitz and Birch). But what about this new shift in the diet culture industry toward body positivity or body neutrality?
Women are conditioned from a young age to believe that being thin or having an unattainable body is their source of value in society. American culture is obsessed with body image, where “[a]n estimated 45 million Americans go on a diet each year, and Americans spend $33 billion each year on weight loss products'' (Boston Medical Center). This thriving weight loss industry is capitalizing on America's insecurities.
The body positivity movement quickly rose to fame after many celebrities called out the entertainment industry for shaming women for their bodies if they did not fit the ideal thin beauty standard. Body positivity is defined as “the fact of feeling good about your body and the way it looks” (Cambridge Dictionary). And while the body positivity movement was successful in challenging social constructs that favor thin people, it has been newly critiqued for still perpetuating the value of appearance among women by constantly having to be in love with your body, and therefore continuously focusing on it.
A new movement has taken off, referred to as the “body neutrality” mindset. This mindset focuses on the idea of being at peace with the way your body looks so that every perceived flaw is not constantly at the forefront of your thoughts. A large aspect of this mentality is acknowledging the beauty of your body’s functionality without adding an emotional charge, either positive or negative, to your thoughts about it.
Ways to shift to a body-neutral mindset:
Thank your body for being a vessel for experiences and relationships.
Reframe your inner dialogue about your body. Switch “I don’t like the way my stomach looks” to “I am grateful to be able to share food with my friends in abundance.”
Focus on parts of your life that are not connected to your appearance: acknowledge the best parts of your personality.
As women, so much of our energy is put into fitting societal standards, and we are wasting time and potential that could benefit women themselves and society, where “over 90% of women dislike their bodies and 97% of women have an “I hate my body” moment every day” (Poirier). Diet culture is just another way to control women and make us feel self-conscious, holding us to an unattainable standard that we are constantly striving to achieve.
In the barest of terms, body neutrality is accepting your body. This includes finding the best way to move it so that it feels good after you work out, finding foods that keep you energized and full, and having enough energy to spend time with family and friends. This mindset is remembering that your body is the least interesting thing about you.
Reference List:
Abramovitz, B. A., & Birch, L. L. (2000). Five-year-old girls’ ideas about dieting are predicted by their mothers’ dieting. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 100(10), 1157–1163. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(00)00339-4
“Body Positivity.” Cambridge English Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/body-positivity.
Poirier, Anne. (n.d.). 5 Steps to Body Neutrality. National Eating Disorders Association. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/5-steps-body-neutrality
“Weight Management.” Boston Medical Center. (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2022, from https://www.bmc.org/nutrition-and-weight-management/weight-management#:~:text=An%20estimated%2045%20million%20Americans,Americans%20are%20overweight%20or%20obese.