SPOTLIGHT ON: BODY NEUTRALITY

Is it the new self-love? Body image expert Liz Reichard tells all...

- MADISON BOGISCH

Ask a woman what she hates about her body, and she’s likely to answer quickly and with a list a mile long. Ask that same woman what she loves about her body, and she’ll pause and have to think about it.

Women have been conditioned since they’re born that the most interesting and important thing about them is how they look. Friends and family will tell little girls how pretty they are rather than how smart or strong they are. There are billion-dollar industries, including weight loss, beauty and fashion that feed on our insecurities to sell us their products. And I was no different – I, too, hated my fat body and tried diets, lotions, and potions to try and ‘fix’ it.

Thankfully, things are slowly starting to change. There has been a rise in the Body Love Movement, seeking to empower women to love their bodies exactly as they are now. Women like Taryn Brumfitt, Celeste Barber, Sonya Renee Taylor and Lizzo are shining a light on the systems that lead to women hating their bodies. They are showing women that there is a different way to think about your body and that it can be positive.

WHAT IS BODY NEUTRALITY?

For many women, jumping from loathing their bodies to loving it can be a massive leap. It seems impossible, like trying to jump over the Grand Canyon.

But what if there was a mid-point, a landing pad to aim for in the middle of the canyon that looks far more achievable?