Body Neutrality vs Body Positivity

Written by: Alexia Teo (22-U1), Cheng Zhi Shan (22-U1)

Design by: Ng Le Kang (23-I2)

Do you accept your body because of how it functions or because you think it looks beautiful? This question is the crux of the debate between body neutrality and body positivity and your answer could determine which of the two you prefer.

But first, what is body neutrality or positivity?

Body neutrality is neither loving nor hating your body. It’s based on the notions of acceptance and having respect for one’s body rather than love.

However, body positivity on the other hand is a social movement that advocates for the acceptance of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender or physical abilities. The central concept is the idea that beauty is constructed by society and it should not determine someone’s self-worth or value.

Why should we even care about the difference between these two terms?

Beauty is extremely difficult to define, and changes dramatically with place and time. Consequently, it may also be difficult to feel beautiful when the standards are constantly shifting at rapid speeds. This problem may be exacerbated in individuals with mental disorders like depression or anxiety, which can severely cloud one’s self-perception and impact self-esteem, fuelling hatred for one’s body. The idea that one should love their body because it is beautiful was birthed from a place of positivity and empowerment – in its attempt to get people, especially women, to accept their body regardless of shape, size or state. Yet, this very idea is what is becoming toxic to a handful of people who believe that if their body is not beautiful, then they should hate how they look which entraps them in a cyclical nature of wanting to alter the way their body looks or on the other end of the spectrum, encouraging the acceptance of body types stemming from unhealthy diets. This results in people thinking that our bodies are now “ornaments” rather than “instruments”. In reaction to these flaws of body positivity, the idea of body neutrality has been proposed. Some think that body positivity becomes constrictive when it dismisses the insecurities you have with your body just simply because one should believe it “looks beautiful” whereas some think that body neutrality is a misguided concept where some – more specifically people from the LGBTQ+ community or plus-sized individuals, are unable to come to terms with a common ground “neutrality” and need encouragement, that more often stems from body positivity, to feel secure with their current self and obtain the physical validation they have been searching for. 

So, should we be positive or apathetic about our body shape and size? One could examine this issue from the angle of ‘romanticism or realism’ where ‘body positivity’ largely encompasses romanticising your body – to a certain extent, and ‘body neutrality’ represents realism. We did some primary research on this issue through interviews and questionnaires and there are some very varying opinions on it. 

Most of our respondents voted for supporting ‘body neutrality’ over ‘body positivity’ arguing that body positivity may result in what we term as “toxic positivity” where they may end up overlooking health problems and that ‘body positivity’ over-glamourises these unhealthy body types which could be dangerous. Others that supported ‘body neutrality’ argued that it was a better way to view the body than ‘body positivity’ simply because of how one may never be able to fully accept their insecurities and we have to learn to live with that instead of just labelling these insecurities as “beautiful”. Most also stated that ‘body positivity’ is rather unrealistic because of how ‘body positivity’ still revolves around appearances and is not healthy in enabling one to move past the notions of “beauty standards” – thus more of a performative act than a movement one actually believes, whereas ‘body neutrality’ precipitates the acceptance of one’s body in a less romanticised way. 

However, for those who supported ‘body positivity’, they regard ‘body positivity’ as a way to celebrate our bodies and a way to learn how to respect and cherish our bodies. As such, ‘body positivity’ embodies self respect and appreciation, returning the means for us to love our body. 

So, which belief should triumph?

One should acknowledge that body image is a very individual experience and that a different mindset works best for different types of people. A third alternative could even entail a mix of both mindsets where one chooses to follow whatever aspects may work best for them. While there may be stark differences between body positivity and body neutrality, neither should be discounted as there are definitely merits to both. At the end of the day, these ways of thinking ultimately encourage us to be appreciative of our unique body and to feel comfortable in our own skin.