Why the Body Neutrality Movement Hasn’t Won Me Over Yet

It looks as if daily I see a brand new TikTok or Instagram influencer’s put up or an op-ed telling me that physique neutrality is the answer to all of physique positivity’s poisonous faults and that I ought to begin working towards it, like, yesterday. But when I am being brutally trustworthy? I am okay, thanks.

To be clear: I do not assume physique neutrality is a nasty factor. Fairly the other. I comply with and agree with quite a lot of its core practices and beliefs, reminiscent of utilizing mindfulness to resolve when to eat and train and the final concept that bodily magnificence is just not an indicator of price. For many individuals, sustaining unwavering physique positivity is just not a sensible purpose and may inadvertently trigger emotions of failure, so I perceive why so many are discovering interior peace with the physique neutrality motion — and I feel that is wonderful.

However each time I am about to dip my toe within the physique neutrality water, I hesitate as a result of, whereas I can acknowledge that my physique’s look is not and should not be crucial side of my being, I can also’t deny that how my physique appears has at all times affected my ideas, emotions, persona, sexuality — all of it.

Studying to understand my physique as it’s and serving to different folks in my life do the identical has, roughly, been the overarching plotline of my 27 years on Earth. In an ideal world, my physique would not have precipitated as a lot drama because it did — body-shaming by schoolmates, an incapacity to search out garments that match, household fights spurred by passive-aggressive feedback about my dimension — however I would not be the identical particular person if none of that drama had occurred…or if I had simply been skinny to start with. Would I like who I’m if I did not have the identical overwhelmingly tall stature, thunder thighs, and pooch-y stomach? I do not know, as a result of overcoming all that physique disgrace is a part of what’s made me headstrong, assured, and resilient — and I love these issues about myself. Would not change ’em if I may.

I am not saying you need to endure trauma to turn out to be a powerful particular person, or that trauma is someway good for you on the finish of the day (take it from somebody who is aware of firsthand, it isn’t); however in the case of my life, I can not deny my physique’s function within the course of. I can — and wish to — settle for and love my physique for the way it appears and what it could actually do whereas concurrently appreciating my interior traits. To me, they’re one and the identical. 

However that is positively not the case for everybody, and that is okay as a result of each particular person’s journey with self-image is exclusive. My journey is laced with privilege: I am a type of white, cisgender, able-bodied, size-14 individuals who is heralded by commercialized physique positivity. It is essential to me to level this out in any dialog I’ve about physique picture as a result of, let’s be trustworthy, I’ve it comparatively straightforward. (And so do plenty of people the fat-activism group calls “small fat,” who exist on the lowest end of the spectrum we use to determine totally different ranges of physique privilege amongst plus-size people.)

What I am getting at is that, as a lot as overflowing sound-bytes and affirmations on the web may attempt to sway everybody in no matter path is common in the meanwhile, I feel everybody’s strategy to physique acceptance and self-acceptance ought to be totally different. Once I see these body- impartial TikToks or articles, I ponder if I have been doing this complete body-acceptance factor the flawed method all this time. However in actuality there isn’t a secret formulation for achievement with these things. Finally, I consider the primary factor that issues is that we prioritize the fats liberation on the core of those actions and specific gratitude for any systemic physique privileges we do have. As I’ve stated one million instances, being fats is not a nasty factor; underrepresentation of and discrimination in opposition to fats persons are why we’d like these conversations within the first place, and (societally talking) to shift our perspective from “however all our bodies are stunning” to “systemic fatphobia have to be stopped.”

I assume that is me writing to remind myself that I haven’t got to decide on a particular motion and comply with it blindly. I can cherry-pick beliefs and practices that make me really feel good whereas persevering with to coach myself with books, podcasts, and different supplies created by fats people who’ve totally different experiences than mine. My outlook won’t have a catchy title that may be hashtagged endlessly, however that is type of the purpose: I need not use anybody’s strategy to physique acceptance however my very own as a result of I’m distinctive. Possibly you need not both — however that may solely be as much as you.

Extra from Studying Curve:

Now, Lizzo’s musings on physique picture: