Body positive versus body neutral: loving one’s appearance or loving oneself?

The body positivity movement empowers all individuals to love their appearances. However, influencers like Bree Lenehan remind us to love more than our looks.

A few day ago, while aimlessly scrolling through Instagram, one post stopped me dead in my tracks: it included multiple photos of a young woman, with her stomach sucked in for “before” shots, and with her stomach sticking out for “after” shots. The “after” shots were her natural state, and she smiled wide.

The woman was Bree Lenehan, a body positive influencer whose feed is full of photos featuring her posed versus unposed body, as well as her natural stomach, stretch marks, and breakouts.

One of Lenehan's weekly "Real Me Monday" posts, where she shows the difference between her posed and unposed body.

While scrolling, I learned that Lenehan had previously suffered from an eating disorder, and now uses her platform to display her recovered, natural body with pride. I additionally noticed a common theme: Lenehan’s posts are based in self-love, regardless of appearance.

“Loving your body isn’t believing your body looks good,” Lenehan says in one post, “it’s understanding that your body is an instrument for your use, not an ornament to be admired.”

My dive into Lenehan’s feed made me wonder: is there more to body positivity than just loving one’s appearance?

A little context

The term “body positive” refers to the idea that every individual deserves to have a positive view about their body image, regardless of what society deems the ideal body shape, size, and appearance. This includes the acceptance of all “marginalized bodies,” such as disabled bodies, queer bodies, or bodies belonging to people of color.

The body positivity movement lives largely on social media accounts like Lenehan’s. Supermodel and influencer Ashley Graham, for example, encourages her followers to love their bodies regardless of size. Notably, she shared photos of how her recent pregnancy shaped her body, through weight changes and stretch marks.

“Getting bigger and bigger and trying to embrace my new body every day,” she captioned a video of her baby bump.

Apart from using her platform to normalize the bodily changes of pregnancy, Ashley Graham also publicly rejects the term "plus-size," encouraging a more body positive fashion industry.

Graham’s feed highlights a core principle of body positivity: the idea of unconditional self-love, or that every perceived “flaw” in appearance can be cherished.

However despite being body positive, Lenehan doesn’t necessarily preach a message of unconditionally loving her appearance.

“Your body isn’t something that dictates your value. It has no power over how you live your life unless you let it,” Lenehan says in one post.

Keeping it neutral

Lenehan’s self-love philosophy falls under body neutrality, which encourages individuals to appreciate their capabilities, as well as ability to live meaningful lives regardless of appearance. This differs from body positivity, which focuses solely on appreciating one’s appearance.

While she promotes elements of body positivity, Lenehan also encourages body neutrality. She prompts others to focus on loving more than their looks, and shares her own experience in doing so.

Through a body neutral outlook, Lenehan uses her platform to focus on what her body is physically capable of, instead of only how it looks.

“One day, I decided I was pretty kind, pretty smart, and had so much more to offer than to spend the rest of my life just trying to be ‘pretty,’” Lenehan writes in an Instagram caption.

The takeaway

Overall, I support the body positivity message: we deserve to be happy with how we look, regardless of our weight, skin tone, or other features. However, body positivity remains rooted in accepting just our appearances.

It can be difficult to always love the way we look. Yet, influencers like Lenehan remind us that it's ok- instead, we should focus on always loving ourselves for who we are.

So, why not try a body neutral outlook? It may be a sustainable way to treat ourselves with more kindness and happiness.