Beyond Body Positivity: Why 'Body Neutrality' Is the New Self-Care Revolution

Meet Alex.

On Instagram, you won’t find him advocating for #BodyPositivity with a curated, airbrushed look. Instead, Alex’s feed shows him stretching after a workout, focusing on how his body feels, not how it looks. His journey embodies Body Neutrality, a movement that's reshaping how we view our bodies—not as aesthetic objects but as functional and capable entities.

In 2025, this trend is gaining momentum as more people shift their focus away from appearance-based validation and embrace a more balanced, practical relationship with their bodies.

Core Concept

Body Neutrality encourages individuals to neither overly praise nor criticize their physical appearance. Unlike body positivity, which celebrates all bodies regardless of shape or size, body neutrality focuses on appreciating the body for what it can do, such as keeping us healthy or moving us through the world. The emphasis is on function, wellness, and self-acceptance rather than appearance.

Key Characteristics

1. Focus on Functionality: Instead of celebrating appearance, body neutrality focuses on how the body functions, emphasizing mobility, strength, and health.

2. Neutral Emotional Tone: It promotes a neutral stance toward one’s body—acknowledging it without emotional extremes.

3. Mindfulness and Health: There’s a strong connection to mental health, emphasizing the importance of self-care without appearance-driven motivation.

4. Avoidance of Appearance Obsession: Rejects both negative self-criticism and the pressures of needing to love every part of one’s body constantly.

Origin and Evolution

The Body Neutrality movement emerged as a counter-response to the body positivity movement. While body positivity gained traction in the 2010s by promoting self-love and body acceptance, some critics pointed out that the pressure to constantly love one’s body can feel overwhelming or even unrealistic for many. Body neutrality, which gained traction in the late 2010s and early 2020s, offers an alternative by promoting a more neutral, balanced perspective.

This evolution reflects a broader shift toward mental health awareness, which encourages less focus on external appearance and more on inner well-being. The movement has been especially embraced by Gen Z, who seek to challenge societal beauty standards and prioritize mental wellness over perfection.

Related Trends

• Body Positivity: While body neutrality builds on the foundations of body positivity, it deviates by advocating for a more pragmatic and emotionally neutral relationship with the body.

• Health at Every Size (HAES): A movement that emphasizes health and well-being without focusing on weight or size, closely aligned with body neutrality’s focus on function over appearance.

• Self-Care and Mindfulness: The rise of wellness practices that encourage self-awareness and self-compassion aligns with the body neutrality ethos of focusing on overall well-being, not appearance.

Real World Expression

In 2024, several brands have begun incorporating body neutrality messaging into their marketing, reflecting a growing cultural shift:

1. Dove’s “Self-Esteem Project”: Dove continues to lead the charge in body image campaigns, but in recent years, it has incorporated more body neutrality-focused messaging, encouraging young people to appreciate their bodies for what they can do, not just how they look.

2. Aerie’s “Real Me Collection”: Aerie, the American Eagle Outfitters subsidiary, continues to push boundaries with unretouched images and models that represent a wide variety of body types. Their messaging has shifted from pure body positivity to encouraging comfort and function over aesthetics.

3. Girlfriend Collective: This sustainable activewear brand focuses heavily on body neutrality by marketing clothes that emphasize comfort, inclusivity, and functionality over traditional beauty standards.

These examples show how real-world brands are evolving their marketing to reflect a body-neutral mindset, acknowledging the shift away from beauty-focused content.

Future Trajectories

• Mainstream Adoption: As the wellness movement continues to grow, more fitness and lifestyle brands will align with body neutrality, offering products and messaging that emphasize functionality and well-being rather than appearance.

• Educational Platforms: Schools, universities, and wellness apps are likely to adopt body neutrality-focused curriculum, particularly in physical education and mental health programs, to foster a balanced relationship with one’s body from a young age.

• Healthcare Integration: Expect to see more healthcare practitioners embrace body neutrality in their approaches, focusing on holistic health that includes mental well-being without emphasizing weight loss or appearance as a measure of health.

Implications for Brands

Brands must adapt to this emerging mindset by shifting their focus away from aesthetics and appearance. Consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are becoming increasingly wary of overtly appearance-driven marketing. Instead, brands should:

• Promote Functional Products: Highlight the functional aspects of products, like comfort, practicality, and how they enhance everyday life.

• Authenticity Over Perfection: Consumers are craving authentic, relatable content over highly curated, polished imagery. Brands that incorporate real-world, unfiltered representations of bodies and lifestyles will resonate more with today’s audiences.

• Mental Health Alignment: Align marketing messages with mental wellness initiatives, showing consumers that your brand values their holistic well-being rather than just their external appearance.

Ultimately, Body Neutrality encourages consumers to look beyond appearance and embrace health, function, and self-care. Brands that champion these values will build deeper, more authentic connections with their audiences in 2025 and beyond.