I’m so excited to dive into this topic, because I’ve been craving this shift in my content for a long while. Before we get into the nitty gritty of body neutrality (what it is, and why you should embrace it) I want you to know that my journey, my passion, into health and wellness did not start out of wanting to care of my body.
It started out of wanting to escape my body. In my late teens and early twenties, I hated everything about myself: I was chubby, and then skinny fat. I had no boobs, but all the cellulite. I didn’t like my eyes, my lips, my feet…the list goes on. You can read more about my personal journey here. But the reason I want to start with this, is because I want to tell you: losing weight did not make me love my body. (Read: Why Being Thin Didn’t Help Me Love My Body)
In fact, when I was my most thin, when I get the most compliments on my body, was when I was the most unhealthy. My anxiety was the worst it had ever been, and I was barely getting by. I hated everything about myself.
As I’ve grown up, I’ve become better educated on topics like nutrition and health. But I’ve also become better educated about societal pressures on us to look good, on the influence of social media and the importance that is placed onto us for our appearances. In fact, I get a little angry when someone makes fun of someone else for taking a selfie or for feeling good in their skin. Why? Because we live in a world that constantly tells us that we need to look better, try harder, be more attractive. We’re bombarded with these messages. But somehow, we’re not supposed to notice how we look? We’re not allowed to actually feel good in our skin? We can’t feel accomplished for getting in shape even though we were pressured into losing weight in the first place?!
That’s bananas. Why strive for perfection and never be able to enjoy it? Why strive for perfection at all? (Hint: you shouldn’t.)
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If you feel great in your skin, and you feel confident about yourself, that’s amazing. Lean in to that, embrace it, take that selfie. Because we need to know it’s okay to actually like the way you look. We can love ourselves completely.
But if you’re not there yet, and there are parts of your body that you just don’t like—and the idea of self-love seems way too far for you to reach—this post is for you. Because as it turns out, there is a middle ground, and it’s called body neutrality.
What Is Body Neutrality?
Body neutrality is a concept that encourages you to accept your body for what it is, and put more emphasis on what your body is capable of, instead of its appearance.
Because your body does so much. Body neutrality gives you that middle ground: you might not love every part of your body, but can you learn to accept it? To notice it, and maybe feel slightly indifferent?
I’ll give you an example: I have always wanted a bigger chest. I have a really bony chest, so my sternum sticks out more than my boobs (no matter how much weight I have on my frame), and growing up I was really self-conscious. It was something I was really insecure about. I played around with the idea of plastic surgery, but for me, it’s not worth it to have an invasive procedure where I’m putting something foreign into my body.
There’s this quote that I love:
Accept what you can’t change. Change what you can’t accept.
I wasn’t willing to have surgery and change it, so what option did I have? I learned to simply accept my chest. I started to appreciate it and what it does for me: I can leave the house on without a bra and not be told I look sloppy. It doesn’t cause me back pain, like it does for so many of my larger-chested friends. It doesn’t negatively impact my workouts.
The more I learned to just accept my boobs, the more I slowly grew to like them. Now, don’t get me wrong: if I woke up tomorrow with even a full B cup, I would be thrilled. There would be dancing. But since there isn’t a fairy godmother handing out free boobs, here we are.
Can You Learn To Accept Your Body?
You might not love every inch of you, and that’s okay, no one does. But imagine how nice it would feel to get to a place where you didn’t hate it. Where you didn’t feel strongly attached to it. Where you could look at your body, nod and move on.
Imagine not associating all of your self-worth solely around your appearance.
Because you are so much more than your body. And these negative emotions hold you back from truly experiencing life.
What are your thoughts on body neutrality? Let me know in the comments! Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to join my weekly newsletter for the latest in wellness, self-care and feeling good in your skin.
With love,
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