Body Neutrality
CW: Discussion around weight, body image.
I've mentioned that I'm a proponent of Body Neutrality and I get a lot of questions about it, so here's my experience.
Disclaimer: I am no therapist, not a health expert, and I wouldn't even call myself especially well-versed in the movement. Therefore I'll just be sharing what it means to me. This also isn't a condemnation of body positivity, just an alternative that works better for me. I'll also include a few resources in the comments for deeper digging.
Also, I am "small fat" - I don't experience the discrimination people with larger bodies encounter in public spaces and I still fit in most of the larger in-store sizes at places like H&M, so I still have straight-size privilege.
A year ago, my therapist gave me this nugget of wisdom:
"So there's body positivity, where you should feel good about your body. And then there's a lot of messaging out there that says you should have negative feelings about your body - tied into white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy. But what if... you felt neutral about your body?"
I just stared at her for a couple moments and then leaned back into my chair and stared at the blank space above her for a couple more moments.
"Whoa," was all I could say. I can just... not feel either sort of way... about my body?
She explained further: "Your body is a good body because it gets you around, houses your brain, and lets you be here in this room with me. You don't have to force yourself to love your body or dislike it. Your body just is."
Therapy is a helluva drug.
It's a continual work-in-progress but these days, when I look at myself in my full-body mirror, I see more and more just... Me. I don't have to look like what heavily curated "plus size" models on magazine covers look like. Nor do I have to feel shitty for not looking like a size 00. I don't have to look at myself and think "goddamn I'm fuckin' sexy" or "I'm disgusting." I can just look and gently hold my FUPA and smile. It's not a hot bod. It's not a gross bod.
It's my body. It gets me around. And it's a good body.
Further reading:
“Body Neutrality Is A Body Movement That Doesn't Focus On Your Appearance” (HuffPost)
“Body Neutrality Is Anything But Neutral” (Daily Nexus)
