“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” When you think about it, as a society, we’ve been assessing and comparing beauty standards for as long as our memory serves. What do you see when you look in the mirror? Maybe you see your body, or maybe you see an athlete, a daughter, a mother, a son, or even a tired, hot mess. For many, the mirror is an arena for curiosity, some show up with judgements, some more than others, but pretty commonly it is the canvas in which helps shape one’s body image.
Body Image- a loaded word, subject, and conversation.
Body image is defined as the thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors around one’s physical appearance.1b1 This develops in early childhood as one becomes aware of their appearance. There is a nuanced relationship that has evolved between how we feel about our bodies, how we treat our bodies, and the messages from society about how we should do the aforementioned.
Two “buzz words” that frequently come up in this space are body acceptance and body positivity. These terms often get confused, interchanged, and misconstrued, as they sound similar but are fundamentally different in their approach.
Body Positivity
Enter the Body Positivity movement – defined as a “movement to accept bodies of all sizes and types, rather than those that conform to societal ideals of beauty. It emphasizes self-acceptance, inner worth, and appreciation for a body’s abilities”2. Body Positivity promotes a positive view of all bodies, regardless of size, shape, skin tone, gender, and physical abilities, focusing on the appreciation of the functionality and health versus appearance3.
This highlights a shift toward a more inclusive view of human diversity and encourages the anti-diet mentality, away from restriction and toward a more balanced well-being, without the incentive of changing one’s body as the driving force. Body Positivity is the pioneer term to loving one’s self and creating a self-image that has more to do with the “self” part than the “image” part. However, while the idea of self-worth regardless of physical aesthetic appearance is the ideal, it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone feels “positive” about their body all the time.
Enter – Body Acceptance.
Body Acceptance
Body acceptance is defined as accepting one’s body regardless of not being completely satisfied with all aspects of it4. The term “body neutrality” is also used here. This is a mindset of self-worth that does not require looking in the mirror and LOVING what you see, every single day, but rather knowing your worth is not tied to your appearance, and you still deserve love, care, and respect, in the moments that you may feel poorly or even neutral about your body. The message is being able to accept your body as it is right now, without judgement, without positive or negative ties.
With body acceptance, one can practice being curious about other aspects of what the body can do, accepting that what they look like or feel like that day “is what it is”, you move through the day, go on with your daily life, and take in wonderful experiences without the feelings of your body holding you back. This spans beyond what they body looks like and also into what the body can do. You do not need to force yourself to “love” your body in every moment, but you can accept it and love yourself anyways, give yourself that well-deserved “hug”, that is body acceptance.
The goal is to move towards body acceptance, not perfection. If you are in the space to practice more body positivity, lean in. If you can learn to practice just accepting your body for how it shows up each and every day, wherever you are on your journey, and show up as your authentic self, acting in accordance to your core beliefs, you’re headed in the right direction too. It’s about being realistic, treating yourself and your body with kindness and respect, however it looks, and taking the next step. Shifting the mindset from “I need to change my body” to “I accept my body as it is, and I can still make healthy choices” can be incredibly transformative. A simple mindset shift, may be the helpful little reminder that you are enough, in any body.
References
- Body Image and Eating Disorders. National Eating Disorders Association. Accessed February 27, 2025. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-and-eating-disorders/
- Body Positivity | Psychology Today. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/body-positivity
- Body positivity. In: Wikipedia. ; 2025. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Body_positivity&oldid=1277927259
4. Griffiths S. Body Acceptance. In: Zeigler-Hill V, Shackelford TK, eds. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer International Publishing; 2017:1-3. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_486-1
