THE BODY NEUTRAL MOVEMENT
There’s more than one way to love the skin you’re in
Scrolling through your social media feeds, it’s likely that you’ll see your favourite celeb or influencer showing off their lean figure, often in a bikini or skimpy clothes. While most of us know the truth of Instagram versus reality, studies show that up to
91 per cent of women are unhappy with their bodies. Although this figure is startling, it hardly feels surprising.
“Every day, through marketing and social media, we are bombarded with images of one particular body type,” says Kate Kraschnefski, head of training at the Australian Institute of Fitness. “Unfortunately, this can make us feel like that particular body is the one of most worth and what we should all aspire to attain.”
Not only is there a focus on how bodies should look, there’s often a lack of diversity that can lead to us feeling like we fall short.
“This lack of diversity means a lot of women can’t help but feel less of themselves when compared against the perceived expectation society has on beauty, and how they should look and even act,” explains Kraschnefski.
A MOVE BEYOND POSITIVITY
In response to this beauty ideal, the body positivity movement was born. It aimed to promote acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size or shape. However, of late, the movement has received some criticism for placing too much emphasis on physical attractiveness in general.
“While the aim of the body positive (BoPo) movement is great, its message can sometimes be overly simplified. A lot of people think it’s just about loving how you look, regardless of how you look,” says Kraschnefski.
“While that’s a part of it, its essence is about trying to get us to know that our worth is so much more than our external appearance, to go deeper and love, respect and nourish our bodies on every level.”
This has given way to a new movement known as body neutrality, which aims to view yourself without any connotations to beauty or attractiveness. The focus instead is appreciating your body for what it can do.
“Imagine just not thinking about your body. You’re not hating it. You’re not loving it. You’re just a floating head,” self-love advocate Jameela Jamil explains.
FUNCTION OVER FORM
It can also be unrealistic to believe that you are going to love the way you look day in, day out. And it might leave you feeling disheartened if you’re having an off day.
“It’s probably a reach for people to wake up one day and look in the mirror and tell themselves how fabulous they are. And that’s OK,” explains Kraschnefski.
You don’t have to love the way your thighs look every day. Instead, aim to love what your legs do for you, regardless of their appearance.
“Start finding a few moments each day to take in some deep breaths, centre and connect in your body. After that, try simple
expressions of gratitude, such as, ‘Thank you legs for moving me around each day! Thank you lungs for breathing in sweet oxygen!’ This practice should kick off a positive momentum towards enhanced self-love,” says Kraschnefski.
CHANGE THE TUNE
Accepting your body for the way it is might not happen overnight. Instead, understand that this is a task that requires patience and compassion.
Kraschnefski recommends beginning your journey by turning attention inwards.
“Start increasing your awareness of your self-talk and observations around your body,” she says.“Many of us, almost unconsciously, can say some pretty awful things about ourselves without realising.”
Once you begin to notice the way you speak to yourself, create alternative, empowering mantras to use when your self-talk isn’t compassionate.
“For example, you may look in the mirror and make a negative comment about your weight. Rather than that, simply state,
‘I am grateful for my body today,’” Kraschnefski says.
A social media audit can also help. “Next time you are scrolling, really feel the reactions you have to the images you see,” she adds. “If you are feeling anything less than awesome about yourself, respectfully unfollow or set some healthy boundaries around your time on social media.”