Body neutrality

The sculpture of two women in bronze, *Jag tänker på mig själv – Växjö* ( 'I am thinking of myself – Växjö') by Marianne Lindberg De Geer, 2005, outside of the art museum of Växjö, Sweden.^[1]^[2] It depicts one thin woman and one fat woman and demonstrates society's infatuation with outward appearances. The sculpture has been a source of controversy in town, with both statues being vandalized and repaired during 2006.^[3]

The concept of body neutrality encourages the mindset that a person's bodily appearance, and attitudes towards it, should have the least possible effect on their experience of life. Its proponents assert that people should neither be celebrated for their conformance with an ideal of bodily beauty nor criticised for departure from such a condition. It may be contrasted with Body positivity,^[4] the Fat acceptance movement, Lookism, and body shaming. Some explanations of the concept emphasise a body's functionality over its aesthetics.^[5]^[6]

Amongst its better-known adherents are Erynn Chambers and Bethany C. Meyers.^[7]^[8]^[5]^[9]^[10]

References

^ "Bronskvinnorna" [The bronze women]. Vaxjo.se.
^ "Obesity over time". OpenLearn.
^ Roxvall, Anna (30 November 2006). "Skulpturer rör upp känslor i Växjö" [Sculptures stir emotions in Växjö]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish).
^ "Body Positivity vs. Body Neutrality". Verywell Mind. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Telesna neutralnost: Prihvatanje tela zbog svega onog što može da uradi, ne zbog toga kako izgleda" [Body Neutrality: Accepting the body for all it can do, not what it looks like]. British Broadcasting Corporation (in Bosnian). October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ Sophie S. Whynacht. "Body Neutrality: A Healthier Way to Relate to Your Body | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
^ Sreenivas, Shishira. "What Is Body Neutrality?". WebMD. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
^ Godwin, Cody Melissa (September 2, 2020). "Body neutrality: What if you don't really love or hate your body?". BBC News. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
^ Swami, Viren (6 October 2022). "Body neutrality: what it is and how it can help lead to more positive body image". The Conversation. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
^ "Body Neutrality vs. Body Positivity". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2024-03-03.

[1] "Bronskvinnorna" [The bronze women]. Vaxjo.se.

[2] "Obesity over time". OpenLearn.

[3] Roxvall, Anna (30 November 2006). "Skulpturer rör upp känslor i Växjö" [Sculptures stir emotions in Växjö]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish).

[4] "Body Positivity vs. Body Neutrality". Verywell Mind. Retrieved 27 February 2025.

[BBCB-5] "Telesna neutralnost: Prihvatanje tela zbog svega onog što može da uradi, ne zbog toga kako izgleda" [Body Neutrality: Accepting the body for all it can do, not what it looks like]. British Broadcasting Corporation (in Bosnian). October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2021.

[6] Sophie S. Whynacht. "Body Neutrality: A Healthier Way to Relate to Your Body | Psychology Today". www.psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 5 July 2025.

[7] Sreenivas, Shishira. "What Is Body Neutrality?". WebMD. Retrieved 2023-09-14.

[Godwin_2020-8] Godwin, Cody Melissa (September 2, 2020). "Body neutrality: What if you don't really love or hate your body?". BBC News. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

[9] Swami, Viren (6 October 2022). "Body neutrality: what it is and how it can help lead to more positive body image". The Conversation. Retrieved 27 February 2025.

[10] "Body Neutrality vs. Body Positivity". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2024-03-03.

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See also

References