Does Body Positivity Seem Impossible To You?

Positive Body Image Is Difficult In Today’s Society

I’m looking at the cover of a popular magazine. Here are a few of the headlines: “Drop 5 Pounds Superfast,” “The Top Anti-Aging Products,” and “25 Secrets of Women Who Eat, Drink and Shrink.”

Our culture supports women fixating on what’s “wrong” with our appearance… our weight, our wrinkles, our waves… there are diets, creams and straightening irons to fix all those “problems.” Is it any wonder that we have trouble accepting accepting, nevermind feeling good, about our bodies?

Read Related Article: Stopping the Negative Self Talk

Unfortunately, the more negative self talk and self hate we engage in, the worse we feel, the more we eat to cope, the more our self-loathing grows (body and self), the more we eat to cope. Negative body image, fat talk and self-loathing are issues that are intricately intertwined with emotional and binge eating.

Enter Body Neutrality ™

Halfway between hate and love is a rarely-visited destination — body neutrality. Not to be confused with body positivity or body acceptance, it’s a strategy to decrease self hate and negative self talk. Body neutrality acknowledges “what is,” rather than longing for “what isn’t.” And it can be a place to start when body positivity feels like too much of a reach.

Read our FitBriefing “When Body Positivity Feels Impossible” to discover the steps you can take toward body neutrality, and ultimately, shutting down negative self talk and the “stuckness” that comes with it.