Thanks @Bre-RO - it's been a pleasure! 

If anyone has any other questions on this topic, or wants to add their thoughts - please feel free to leave a comment. We'd love to hear your perspectives and stories too ❤️

Have a good night all! And remember...

This is a question I could talk about all day! 😂 But I'll try keep it as short and simple as I can!

Body positivity is a movement that is about celebrating & loving your body regardless of how society views ideal shape, size and appearance.

Body neutrality is slightly different in that instead of focusing on loving your body, it pushes that to the side and works on having a more neutral view of your body. 

Both are working at smashing down those toxic body image views we have in popular culture and you might find one sits better with you than the other, it's about what works for you.

For me I lean more on the body neutral side of the scale. Having a body with a chronic illness, I have times where loving my body is just not possible. And personally find body positivity makes me feel bad about not always loving my body. With body neutrality I can accept my body just the way it is, whether I am able to love it or not, and rest or move it to feel good 🙂

I would love to know what the community thinks about this!

Beautiful explanation, and I would also love to hear what everyone thinks about body neutrality.

Community, feel free to share your thoughts and experiences! 

Thank you for sharing this with us. I am so sorry you've had to deal with this, it's not acceptable in any way. To be as transparent as possible, I'm white and will never fully understand what going through that is like, but I'm really glad to hear you are proud of your culture - as you should be 🙌

Society's view of 'beauty' is totally white-centric and just a load of rubbish. Your hair and your skin are, and always will be beautiful, no matter what any ignorant people say. There are so many amazing BIPOC on social media sharing their stories and journeys with their bodies that might be a positive thing for you to fill your feed with 😊 And I actually just read Sonya Renee Taylor's book 'Your Body Is Not An Apology' that delves into this topic too, a really great read if you want to check it out!

100% @Iona_RO beauty standards are so white-centric, and it can take a while to fully unpack what that means and how it impacts your life as a person of colour. 

I second those suggestions and might add that it can be nice to connect with a counsellor/psychologist of the same background or one that specialises in cultural safety. That has been an important part of my journey to accepting my ethnic features 💛

If you haven't already, I would let your GP or psychiatrist know that your meds are affecting you this way. There might be an option for you to try a different medication that could work better with your body. 

As a high functioning person that has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I toootally get how frustrating it is when you need to get things done, but your body just serves you a massive NOPE. It might be an idea to adjust things a bit, so you can still do the things, but in a way your body will feel ok about. For example, if I'm having a really bad fatigue day but need to get work done - I work from bed! It allows my body to rest and be comfortable and there's no need to use valuable energy getting dressed or sitting at my desk. 

The guilt of not being able to do as much as you would like is a really tough one to get past. It took me a loooong time. And I still have days now where it pops up. But remembering that there is nothing more important than your wellbeing, is key. Whatever else is going on, you are the most important thing to focus on. And if that means you need to rest or nap or have days in bed to allow your body to feel better, then that's ok 😊

I love how you've found different ways of getting work done @Iona_RO 

Our society can have a limited view of productivity, and I feel like it is a major contributor to that pressure we all feel. A big theme coming out of this chat is the importance of rest and working with our body's needs. 

I call my bed, my soft office 😊

💀 😅 

Thank you for sharing your experience, like Bre has said, it's so important to talk about this side of things when it comes to body image. This is such a complex question, and although a lot of people deal with eating disorders or a stressful relationship with food, it's very unique to each person on what support is needed.

There are so many reasons why people might struggle with food - it could be an eating disorder, it could be stress, it could be related to ADHD or autism, it could be depression, it could be trauma - the list is neverending. So trying to figure out where it is stemming from for you, might be helpful. I'd recommend doing this with the support of your GP or psychologist so you have their help & advice along the way 😊

This is good advice @Iona_RO there are a bunch of reasons why people struggle with food, and being curious about that is a helpful place to start. 

I hope chatting with a GP and/or psychologist helps and we're also here to listen whenever things get tough!

It's all about balance and listening to your body as well as your brain. If you're working out all the time to the point that missing a session makes you feel really guilty - that's probably a sign you should schedule in some rest days and give yourself time to recover without any pressure. Rest is as, if not even more, important than exercise. We need to give our bodies time to recoup so we don't injure ourselves or burn out. Please enjoy those days where you don't do anything, or take it slow with some self-care activities!

In my opinion, fitness influencers need to get in the bin! 😛 They portray an unattainable, unrealistic and really toxic way of viewing 'healthy' lifestyles. I'd really recommend unfollowing them and instead following more accounts that include a diverse range of bodies and abilities. Your social media feeds should be a space that makes you feel good too! 

I totally agree! Rest and movement go hand in hand. 

Firstly, know that you're not alone in feeling like this, so many of us do. And know that it's not your fault you feel like this either. With so many outside sources (whether it be family members, partners, friends or social media, movies, magazines) it's so difficult not to feel like your body should look a certain way. And if it doesn't, it can make us feel really uncomfortable.

However, those sources are wrongggg, and completely unrealistic. I think one way that works for me, is when I look at my body, imagining it was a friend's body. Would you look at your friend's body and tell them they look horrible? I hope not! So don't say the same thing to yourself either. Look for the things you do love about your body. And if you're not quite at the love stage yet, start with the things you feel ok about, however small, and build from there. ❤️