Redefining Self-Worth - Body Confidence VS Body Neutrality

By Anna

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Under the influences of society, whether it be through media or cultural standards and values, many girls fall victim to toxic standards for beauty. The Western idealism of eurocentric features, as well as thinness, is rooted in the TV shows we grew up watching, the Barbies we played with as children, and in the diet culture we observed in our own parents, eventually shaping our personal definitions of beauty. During puberty, these begin to play into the way we perceive our growing bodies; we find ourselves constantly questioning whether our physical appearance is deemed acceptable. Unconsciously, we begin to objectify ourselves, no longer valuing our bodies for their true purpose, but rather for their worth in the lens of society.
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In order to heal and escape from the effects of this perpetual internalization, it is important to discover the ‘true purpose’ of our bodies, and in turn begin to separate ourselves from the harmful self-objectification we’ve grown to develop. 

Body neutrality is a philosophy that allows one to regain their sense of self-worth by dismantling and abandoning their beliefs surrounding bodies and body image. Body neutrality serves as an alternative to the body-confidence mindset, which generally emphasizes self-acceptance through believing that, regardless of whether your appearance is ‘conventionally attractive’, you deserve to love your appearance, and therefore yourself. The approach of body neutrality takes self-acceptance a step further by completely shifting one’s value system and essentially reversing self-objectification. 

Although both strategies are equally as effective in resetting one’s beliefs surrounding body image, the mindset of self-confidence, in the sense that one deserves to feel that their body is beautiful, is rooted in the ideology that measures self-worth according to attractiveness and beauty, except through the lens of the individual rather than that of society. 

The approach of body neutrality abandons the notion that one must look good to feel good, instead looking at bodies solely from a biological perspective. Positive body-image is redefined as what your body can actually do for you; seeing your body as an entity entirely separate from your internal self; as a vehicle by which you are protected, and that you use to live your life. In turn, this mindset emphasizes the idea that one doesn’t have to be in love with their appearance, or have any opinion on their appearance, but rather that the value of their body is determined by how it works and not how it looks. Therefore, this strategy allows people to prioritize how they physically feel instead of how they look; they are motivated to eat, exercise, etc. for the sole purpose of nurturing their physical body to continue to carry out its uses. 

Though body neutrality may seem blissful to those who are ruled by their body image, it requires the reversal of the very value system that we’ve absorbed continually throughout our lives. 

As a result of media consumption and inherited cultural values, among many other factors, girls have learned to place immense importance on physical appearance, which unconsciously results in self-objectification. This is also exemplified by the body-confidence mindset that many have branded as a strategy for self-love. However, despite not being in full alignment with society in terms of the standard for beauty, the body-confidence mindset only reinforces the idea that one’s worth is determined by their physical appearance. The practice of body neutrality is based on reevaluating whether one’s appearance should be determinant of their confidence, and instead places emphasis on health and physical wellbeing. In turn, this allows more room for emotional and mental prioritization, and therefore growth and improvement outside of physical appearance. 

The way we perceive both our bodies and our self-worth is largely rooted in a set of superficial, inherently racist, fatphobic ideals that have become inescapable as a result of internalization and normalization among generations. It is the responsibility of teens within our generation to analyse and dismantle these damaging ideologies and values and ultimately decide the best strategies to finally eliminate them. Body confidence and body neutrality serve as just two forms of self-perception, equally worth implementing, that can help our society reach stability and continue to progress through the acceptance of oneself and of others.