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One of the longest relationships we have in our lifetime, is that with our bodies. It is a complex and intimate relationship often influenced by health, society, other relationships and life events. The term ‘body image’ refers to all the beliefs and attitudes we hold towards our physical appearance. For some people it can be a positive experience, others may hold negative feelings, and some may rarely consider it. Unfortunately, the society that we live in, largely fosters a negative body image. A 2020 survey conducted by the Butterfly Foundation revealed that 1 in 3 Australians were dissatisfied with their appearance and more than half rarely or never speak positively about their bodies (1).
A poor relationship with our body can negatively influence self-worth and our ability to fully engage and participate in life. Not to mention it is one of the key predictors of individuals developing disordered eating behaviours(2). Our body image is largely influenced by broad and complex systems such as societal norms and ideals, often steeped in patriarchal and racial influences, as well as billion-dollar industries, like weight-loss and dieting, benefitting from our dissatisfaction(3).
Improving your Body Image:
Shifting your relationship to your body can sometimes feel like an impossible task, its often described like turning a huge cruise ship to face the opposite direction. You may have come across terms such as Body Acceptance or Body Love or one of the longer standing ideas: the Body Positivity movement. This concept originated in the 1960’s and aimed to champion marginalised bodies with a shift from stereotypical beauty and body ideals of thin, white, western appearances(4). Body Positivity champions diversity and celebrates that a ‘good body’ is not one shape, size or colour.
While these ideas are liberating for many, if you are new to changing your relationship to your body, or have deep rooted negative feelings, it can feel like a tough ask to shift to a place of complete acceptance. Consider a spectrum, where love and positivity towards your body sits on one end and negative body image sits on the other. Instead of trying to shift the dial from one end to the other, a more achievable target may be moving towards a place of neutrality – that is not feeling strongly for or against your physical appearance. [BC1] This can be a gentler approach that allows better access to developing a healthier relationship to self.
Body Neutrality:
Where many approaches to changing body image focus on reframing our thoughts to be positive, Body Neutrality practices the approach that your body is merely a vehicle to carry you through life and holds no value based off its physical appearance. The phrase was popularised by coach Anne Poirer in 2015 and simply put, it is focusing on what your body does instead of what it looks like(3). Body neutrality is an idea we like to use with clients who often engage in harmful behaviours such as obsessing over appearance, body checking, restrictive dieting or food rules. It is easy to get stuck in a loop of comparison and self-loathing but with the right counselling and support from an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, learning to shift focus and learn proper nourishment is possible. This often begins with empathy towards yourself and learning small ways to foster a healthier relationship with your body on an everyday basis.
Below are some ways to begin practicing Body Neutrality in your everyday life:
1. Mindfulness. Much like meditation, Body Neutrality aims to notice and be curious without assigning judgment. Practice a body scan where instead of physical appearance, you check in with any sensations in the body that you notice, starting with your toes and working up.
2. Curate your surroundings: So many things influence the way we feel about ourselves and others. Next time you notice a social media post, TV ad or article that ignites a sense of negative feelings, consider if you need to keep engaging with it.
3. Engage in ‘feel good’ movement: Instead of partaking in exercise as means to change physical appearance, choose options that ignite joy. If you have worked a long day sitting down, you might notice your body feels stiff and decide to take a walk somewhere in nature and notice how nice it feels to stretch your legs.
4. Focus on function: A great way to practice body neutrality is begin noticing what our body does instead of what it looks like. Have a go writing down three things, as part of a regular journal practice, that your body can do (e.g. My arms help me hug my friends & family. My ears let me listen to my favourite songs, my legs allow me to walk to new places).
5. Non-Physical compliments: Try talking to yourself and others and removing the conversation about bodies completely. For example, you are a great listener. I love the way you laugh. If there is too much chat about bodies and appearance, you can always politely redirect or choose not to engage.
Remember, this practice takes time. Body Neutrality is a middle ground to work towards that removes pressure to feel overly positive towards your body. A spectrum of body image feelings is normal and valid. But on the bad days, can you meet it with kindness and softness?
To work with us on navigating your relationship with your body and self, enquire about a 15-minute discovery call today. Book here: https://www.maitrihealth.com.au/bookings
References:
The Butterfly Foundation. (2020). Insights in Body Esteem: A survey of Australians' experience of body image and its impact on day to day life. T. B. F. f. E. Disorders. https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Report-insights-into-body-esteem.pdf
Cohen, R., Newton-John, T., & Slater, A. (2021). The case for body positivity on social media: Perspectives on current advances and future directions. Journal of Health Psychology, 26(13), 2365-2373. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320912450
Pellizzer, M. L., & Wade, T. D. (2023). Developing a definition of body neutrality and strategies for an intervention. Body Image, 46, 434-442. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.07.006
The Butterfly Foundation. (2021, 6th of Septemeber 2021). Positive Body Image: Navigating the terms and movements. https://butterfly.org.au/positive-body-image-navigating-the-terms/
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