Body positivity vs body neutrality: what’s the difference?
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
Looking to improve your body image? Learn the pros and cons of body positivity vs body neutrality, and 8 tips to help you find what works best for you.
When it comes to body image, some might say that you should accept your body as is, no matter what, because every body is beautiful. But while body positivity is a nice concept, it can feel impossible to practice.
Where’s the balance between struggling to love your body and being obsessed with it? What do you do if you’re not necessarily at war with your body, but you’re not exactly besties either?
Enter body neutrality. Like body positivity, body neutrality aims to help you relate to your body with more compassion. Still, they offer a different approach to body acceptance, and each can support you in different ways.
Let’s explore how body positivity and neutrality operate and how to figure out which one is right for you. You’ll also find practical tips to support your body image journey without the pressure to pick a side, be perfect, or feel a specific way by a certain time.
What is body positivity?
Body positivity is more than a hashtag or a trend — it’s an entire social movement with roots in fat acceptance and disability justice. Body positivity challenges the idea that only certain bodies are worthy of care, respect, and visibility. At its core, it supports the movement that all bodies—regardless of size, shape, color, or ability—are valuable.
You can practice body positivity by dressing in ways that highlight your body, curating your social feed to reflect body diversity, or rejecting the belief that smaller is always better. It encourages you to shift from self-criticism to self-compassion and steers you away from negative thoughts like “I need to fix myself” to more positive self-talk like “I deserve to feel good now.”
But no matter how hard you try, self-love isn’t always easy. For some, it can feel like just another expectation you have of yourself and others, especially on days when you don’t feel confident. This is where body neutrality can help.
What is body neutrality?
Body neutrality is a quieter mindset that moves the focus away from how your body looks and toward how it feels and functions. Body neutrality requires presence and respect, not love or even acceptance. The overall message is simple: You are more than your appearance.
Body neutrality can benefit anyone, but it can be especially helpful for people recovering from disordered eating, managing chronic illness, or feeling overwhelmed by years of body shame. It offers a middle ground between the pressure to perform self-love and the permission to just exist in your body as it is.
In daily life, body neutrality may involve choosing to rest over doing a workout if you aren’t feeling it (and leaving the guilt at the door), dressing just for comfort, or pausing when self-critical thoughts come up. The body neutrality movement isn’t about detachment but about ease. And, for many, that’s its own kind of freedom.
Body positivity vs. body neutrality: 4 key differences
The body positivity and body neutrality movements are meant to help people feel better about themselves, but they offer different ways to get there. You can practice one or both! Here’s how they compare:
1. Emotional tone: Body positivity is a bold and affirming self-love movement. It encourages the celebration of your body and pushes back against shame. Body neutrality offers a gentler tone by inviting less focus on appearance altogether. It’s about ease rather than enthusiasm, and it gives space for body image to not even be on your mind at all some days.
2. Focus of attention: Body positivity highlights beauty and encourages you to embrace how you look. Body neutrality shifts the lens inward, focusing instead on what your body can do.
3. Daily mindset: Body positivity often involves active work like reciting regular affirmations, showing the world you’re body positive, and celebrating your body in every way. For some, this is energizing. For others, it can feel like an effort on days when energy is low. Body neutrality, on the other hand, allows you to take a break from body talk altogether to create room (in your schedule and your mind) to focus on other things.
4. Accessibility: Body positivity can be powerful, especially for those reclaiming space in the world. But it may feel out of reach during hard times. Body neutrality can offer a more accessible option as a mindset that meets you where you are and supports you without demanding transformation.
How to find what works for you: 8 tips to support your body image journey
Whether you’re curious about the uplifting aspects of body positivity or the indifference of body neutrality, it’s important to develop a relationship with your body that feels honest, kind, and sustainable. These practices can help you explore what feels most supportive to you.
1. Get curious about your inner dialogue
Pay attention to how you speak to yourself about your body, especially when you’re getting dressed, passing by a mirror, or scrolling through social media. Are the thoughts you have kind, critical, neutral, or anxious? You don’t need to change them right away. Just start noticing.
Try this: The next time a negative thought pops up, respond with a question instead of a correction. Asking yourself, “Where did that voice come from?” or “Would I say this to a friend?” can create space for compassion.
Read more: Reframing negative thoughts: how to challenge negative thinking
2. Expand your definition of health and beauty
Societal standards and messaging often have a narrow view of what it means to be healthy, beautiful, or “fit.” Body positivity invites you to celebrate a broader, more inclusive definition, while body neutrality reminds you that you don’t need to focus on beauty standards at all.
Try this: Follow creators, artists, athletes, and educators who reflect diverse bodies and talk honestly about their experiences. Unfollow or mute accounts that make you feel inadequate, even if they’re well-meaning (or seem to be).
💙 Nurture your mind and body through self-love with help from Tamara Levitt’s guided exercise on Loving-Kindness.
3. Create a comfort-first wardrobe
Clothing can either be a source of confidence or deep discomfort, but you don’t have to be in love with your body to dress in a way that feels good. Choosing clothes based on how they feel on your skin, how they move with your body, or how they support your daily tasks is one of the simplest ways to practice body neutrality or body positivity.
Try this: Make a “comfort edit” of your closet. Notice which items you avoid wearing because they’re itchy, ride up when you walk, or make you feel self-conscious. Consider donating them, and then replace them with items that make you feel good.
4. Separate body image from self-worth
You may have learned—consciously or not—that your appearance is directly tied to your value. Unlearning this isn’t about ignoring your body, but instead remembering that you’re more than the vessel in which you live.
Try this: Make a list of qualities you value in yourself that have nothing to do with your appearance. Keep the list somewhere visible for the days when you’re feeling insecure or lacking confidence.
Read more: How to improve self-esteem in 7 steps using mindfulness
5. Notice body talk in your circles
In many circles, body commentary has been normalized, especially among friends, family, and coworkers. But even casual comments like “You look so thin,” or “I was so bad with my diet this weekend” can reinforce harmful patterns. Plus, it’s just unnecessary, isn’t it?
Try this: Set boundaries around body talk when you can. Change the subject, offer a neutral response, or gently let someone know you’re focusing on feeling good instead of trying to look a certain way. You don’t need to explain or defend your choice.
💙 Get comfortable setting kind and clear limits with help from the Daily Calm’s session on Boundaries.
6. Build rituals that center how you feel, not how you look
Whether you’re brushing your teeth, stretching in the morning, or winding down for bed, you can use everyday routines to connect with your body in a way that isn’t focused on appearance at all.
Try this: Add a “check-in” moment to one of your routines. Ask yourself what your body needs today. How do you feel physically? Emotionally? What kind of support might help — more water, movement, stillness, or rest?
Read more: 10 mindfulness questions to help you check in with yourself
7. Practice gratitude for what your body does
Acknowledging the function of your body with care (not critique) can feel like a bridge between body neutrality and positivity. Taking time to recognize moments of strength, resilience, or simply existence, and practicing gratitude for them, can help you form a healthier relationship with your body.
Try this: At the end of the day, make a note of one thing your body has allowed you to do, such as “It carried me through a long walk,” or “It allowed me to nap with ease.”
8. Allow space for ambivalence
You don’t have to pick between practicing body positivity or neutrality, or stick to one framework of thinking forever. Some days, body positivity will resonate. Other days, neutrality will feel more doable. And some days, you may not feel positive or neutral at all.
Try this: Name what you’re feeling without assigning moral value. You might think, “I’m feeling disconnected from my body today,” or “I’m having a hard time being in my skin.” This practice can be powerful and compassionate.
Body positivity vs body neutrality FAQs
What are the pros and cons of body positivity and body neutrality?
Body positivity promotes self-love and challenges the narrow definitions of beauty we’ve been taught. It can feel affirming and even radical, especially for those whose bodies have been marginalized. But for some, it can also feel like another pressure of something you’re supposed to achieve, even when you’re struggling.
On the other hand, body neutrality lowers the emotional stakes. It focuses less on loving your body and more on respecting it. This approach can feel more accessible on tough days, especially for those dealing with trauma, illness, or burnout. Still, some people find it too quiet or lacking the joy that comes with visible body acceptance.
Neither approach is perfect, but both can offer something valuable.
Between body positivity and body neutrality, which is better?
Body positivity can be powerful when you’re ready to embrace and affirm your body, especially in the face of harmful societal messages. Body neutrality might feel more realistic and grounding if self-love feels too far off or emotionally exhausting.
The more helpful mindset is the one that supports your mental and emotional health at this moment. Many people shift between the two depending on their mood, environment, or season of life, and that kind of flexibility is often what makes the journey sustainable.
Can I practice both body positivity and body neutrality?
You can practice both body positivity and body neutrality. After all, these frameworks are tools, not identities. Some days might call for celebration and affirmation. Others might just require getting through the day without fixating on your appearance.
Giving yourself permission to move between the two, or take a break from both, is often more helpful than forcing consistency. What matters is that your relationship with your body feels more supportive than punishing.
Why is body neutrality becoming more popular?
Body neutrality is gaining traction because it meets people where they are, especially those who feel disconnected, overwhelmed, or exhausted by body image struggles. For many, neutrality offers an off-ramp from the relentless pressure to feel beautiful or confident all the time.
It also aligns with the growing awareness that wellbeing doesn’t have to revolve around appearance. By shifting the focus to how your body feels or functions, neutrality creates space to experience your body without it dominating your identity.
What if I don’t feel positive or neutral about my body?
Some days, it’s hard to feel anything other than frustration, shame, or numbness. You don’t need to fix those feelings or leap straight into positivity or peace. Just naming them is a step toward self-awareness.
In those moments, care might look like avoiding the mirror, unfollowing certain content, or just wearing what you like. Your worth isn’t dependent on how you feel about your body at any given time. You’re allowed to have hard days — just remember to treat yourself gently.
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