Body Positivity vs. Body Neutrality: What’s the Difference?
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by all the “body” buzzwords out there; body positivity, body neutrality, body acceptance, body trust, you’re not alone. As Eating Disorder and Body Image Psychologists, We hear these terms thrown around all the time. Let’s break them down, identify the social movements they originate from, and talk about what they mean for recovery.
Body Positivity: From Radical Roots to Mainstream Glitter✨
Body positivity started as a radical, fat-acceptance movement in the 1960s and 70s, led by activists fighting for the rights and dignity of people in larger bodies. Its original focus wasn’t about “feeling cute” in selfies, rather it was about dismantling systemic fatphobia and weight stigma.
Over time, body positivity became mainstream. Think Instagram posts with pastel captions about “loving your flaws” and brands using slightly more diverse models. While that visibility can be empowering, critics argue the movement has been watered down, often centering smaller, white, cis bodies instead of amplifying those most marginalised.
Learn more: National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA)
Body Neutrality: The Chill Alternative
Body neutrality came as a response to the pressure of always loving your body. For many people in eating disorder recovery, forcing positivity feels fake or even harmful. Body neutrality shifts the focus from looks to function.
Instead of “I love my thighs!” (which may feel impossible some days), change it to: “My legs help me walk my dog” or “My stomach digests food so I can have energy.” It’s low-pressure, sustainable, and realistic. You don’t have to love your body to respect it.
Learn more: Butterfly Foundation on body neutrality
Body Acceptance & Trust: Making Peace With Your Body
Body acceptance means recognising your body as it is today, without the constant judgment or the hope of radically changing it. Body trust takes this further: it’s about believing your body knows what it’s doing. Hunger, fullness, fatigue, pleasure, pain, these signals are there for a reason.
Together, acceptance and trust create space for healing. Instead of fighting your body, you work with it. This approach aligns closely with Health at Every Size (HAES) principles, which emphasise respect, weight inclusivity, and compassionate self-care.
Learn more: Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH)
Which Approach Is Best?
For me, none of these are “better.” They’re all tools, and different ones help at different times. Body positivity might feel empowering when you want to celebrate. Body neutrality might feel safer on the days when positivity is too much. Body acceptance and trust may become the long-term foundation for peace.
The bigger picture? These approaches all push back against diet culture and weight stigma, while encouraging a relationship with your body that’s about care, respect, and freedom, not appearance.
Recovery isn’t about forcing yourself to love your body; it’s about finding the approach that feels safe, authentic, and sustainable for you.
Are you ready to start exploring what is right for you? Reach out to us now to have a chat.
When we talk about body image, most people assume it’s all about how we look, but in reality, body image is often rooted more in trauma than appearance. For many, past experiences like bullying, medical stigma, or even well-intentioned comments about weight and food can leave lasting scars. These experiences get tangled up with fat phobia, a cultural bias that equates worth with thinness. The result? Even if our bodies change, the pain and fear linked to those memories can linger, making body image less about mirrors and more about survival. Healing body image, then, isn’t about “fixing” the body, it’s about unpacking trauma and challenging the weight stigma baked into our society.
