Ways to Move Towards Body Neutrality
Trying to love your body is super hard. It is especially difficult to do if you are moving from a place of shame or hatred of your body. I struggle with being present and existing in my body, partly because I struggle with the size of my body, but also because I have chronic pain. Being in my body and loving my body is so hard.
The Body Positivity movement was initially about fighting against the stigma and shame of having a fat body. It carved out a space for fat bodies, and for people of color, who were often not allowed into spaces that advocated for fat bodies, to share their experience and also their joy for their body.
Yet, like so many things, Body Positivity has been coopted and commercialized. That’s a whole other blog post, but I did want to give a little context for where Body Neutrality came from. And, as I mentioned, it is hard to love on a body that has had so much abuse from society, and internal anger, heaped upon it.
Which is why I now focus on Body Neutrality. Body Neutrality is about meeting your body where it is and accepting what it can do for you. It focuses more on being present and in your body, instead of looking in a mirror and trying to convince yourself that you love your body.
I’ve found myself able to accept my body as it is and work on being present in my body. It feels much more accessible to me. I wanted to share my experience with Body Neutrality in a free webinar I am hosting on Friday, June 3rd at 12PM Central time. If you can’t make it at that time, please still register because I will be sending out a replay.
I will be covering how systems of oppression have impacted different bodies (this includes fat and disabled), talk more about what body neutrality is, give actionable steps to lead you on your path and we will work together to map out a plan.
I hope to see you there.
