Acceptance > Love: A Guide to Body Neutrality

No one deserves to hate how they look, but it can be daunting and unrealistic to jump onto the idea of loving your body.

Body neutrality is the practice of acknowledging the practical things your body does rather than focus on the appearance of it.

Historically, the beauty industry has left out people of color, disabled people, and plus sized people. The same industry that shunned different types of body should not be celebrated for co-opting body positivity for profit.

Combating beauty standards doesn’t mean that the standards need to be reexamined. Instead, they need to be abolished.

Below are some ways to acknowledge your body’s worth without relying on an archaic idea of “beauty.”

• “My eyes allow me to see pretty scenery.”

• “Gaining weight means I am gaining nutrition.”

• “My body deserves to be cared for.”

• “I deserve to exist as I am, regardless of how I look.”

• “I love my legs because I love to walk.”

• “Changes in my body are natural.”

• “The only person who knows what my body needs is me.”