Exploring the Body Image Spectrum — Registered Dietitian Columbia SC

The way body positivity is presented on social media can make it seem like the goal is to love your appearance. But what if that feels off limits? If it feels like you can’t love your body, there are other ways to explore body positivity. One of those tools is the body image spectrum.

When I first wrote this blog post in 2017, it was the height of the body positive movement. Terms like fatphobia and diet culture weren’t quite mainstream, but close. There were countless plus size influencers who had grown massive followings proving anyone can wear a crop top. The book Shrill had been a best seller and in the process of being developed into a TV show. Tess Holliday had recently graced the cover of People. Kendrick Lamar was declaring he was “sick and tired of the photoshop.” There was finally body diversity in pop culture….at least up to a certain point.

In many ways it feels like a very different culture around bodies today, just 8 years later – and unfortunately not in a good way. We’ve regressed societally in many areas, including some of the progress that had been made around anti-fatness. In this “age of Ozempic,” there’s a lot of people who feel like body positivity was a fad.

Personally, I wouldn’t quite go that far. There are millions of people who have had their eyes opened to the harms of dieting, societal fatphobia, and diet culture. At the same time, I think some of the shortcomings of the body positive movement* are very clear as we sit today, namely that the focus on loving your body and your looks really wasn’t as sustainable, helpful, or empowering as it may have seemed at the time.

*Btw, when I say body positive movement, I’m not talking about Health at Every Size, fat activism, or the work medical providers have done in challenging weight stigma. I’m talking about the most visible body positive movement – think of a lot of the body positive social media and some of the more commercialized body positive content (i.e. the famous Dove commercials, having slightly curvier models, etc.) .

Don’t get me wrong! I think it was really important for people to see that feeling and being seen as attractive was not limited to people in smaller bodies. For many of my clients, connecting with plus influencers was life changing, especially seeing people with bodies like theirs living happy lives and being in loving relationships.

But for others, I noticed the overwhelming focus on loving your looks left them feeling discouraged. I saw that clients who were struggling with intense body hate, especially those with a history of trauma or in bodies that were bigger than curvy or “small fat,” felt like body positivity was off limits for them – they couldn’t imagine a world where they felt OK with their body, let alone positive about it. They wondered what if I can’t love my body – does that mean I’m doomed?

The Body Image Spectrum

As I began learning more about the complexities and nuances of body image, one tool that I found particularly helpful, especially for clients who were struggling with the idea of body positivity, was something called the body image spectrum. This was a tool I initially learned about through The Center for Body Trust and over the years have adapted from a lot of different resources. If you google body image spectrum you’ll see a lot of different ones, and to my knowledge there isn’t one specific scientifically validated one, so feel free to use one with terminology or a visual that connects with you!

The body image spectrum goes beyond viewing body image as positive or negative. It acknowledges the continuum of body image and it’s dynamic nature. It also incorporates other aspects of body image outside of perceptual body image (how one sees their body), including how one thinks, feels, or behaves towards their body.

Let’s dive in a little further and explore the body image spectrum…

Body Hate

Body hate is unfortunately a feeling many people experience towards their body. These intense feelings often occur when someone feels like their body isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do, whether that’s complying with societal pressures to fit into a certain mold, navigating the physical environment (which may not be physically accessible for all bodies), or somatically reacting in a way that’s uncomfortable, for example, with a trauma response. Essentially, body hate arises when one blames their body for feeling something that is physically or emotionally distressing. You might find it helpful to break this down further into body hate and body dislike, which is less intense.

Body Tolerance

Body tolerance is not about liking your body or feeling positive towards it, but simply being able to sit with intense physical or emotional feelings and tolerate them. I often describe body image work as the recognition that you and your body have been put together for the longest ever group project called life. Body tolerance is when you don’t necessarily like the partner you’ve been paired with, but recognize you’ve got to figure out a way to work together, and that starts with tolerance.

Body Respect

Body respect has little to do with how you feel about your body, and is all about how you treat your body. This aspect of body image focuses on the behavioral piece. It doesn’t require liking your body, simply treating it with respect by taking care of it’s basic needs, like nourishing it with adequate food, engaging in basic self care, and avoiding body harming behaviors (like overexercise, sleep deprivation, etc.). This is the baseline of what’s required for intuitive eating and recovery - an important reminder for anyone who feels like it is only for people who love their body.

Body Acceptance

This is another aspect of body image that most people assume requires more positive feelings towards your body than it actually does. To me, body acceptance is viewing your body with an “it is what it is” attitude. I often think of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which involves accepting feelings without trying to change them, and learning to engage in values-aligned behaviors despite shifts in how you might be feeling. Body acceptance and body respect are deeply intertwined.

Body Appreciation

In scientific literature, body appreciation is measured with a 13-point scale that looks at everything from body acceptance, satisfaction, self worth and self care. Personally, I look at body appreciation in a much simpler way. Body appreciation is simply having some degree of appreciation for what your body does for you, no matter how fleeting. It could be anything from appreciating your body for quickly fighting off the same cold that took your partner out of commission for a week, appreciating your legs for allowing you to enjoy a beautiful hike, or appreciation for something as simple as one of your organs working effectively!

Body Neutrality

Body neutrality has become a bit of a buzzword, and I’ve had many clients come to work with me over the years with body neutrality as their stated goal rather than body positivity. Body neutrality is (for lack of a better word) having neutral feelings towards your body - not positive, not negative. It’s a more objective, less emotional viewpoint of ones body, which can often free up a lot of headspace and allow you to build self worth outside of how you feel about your body. When you are experiencing body neutrality, you’re probably not thinking about your body very much.

Body Trust

Body trust isn’t necessarily about a feeling towards or about your body, but rather a sense that arises in the context of a strong relational dynamic or connection with your body. With body trust, there is a collaborative relationship between your brain and body, where you’re doing your best to respond to body cues from a place of caring and respect. You might not always understand your body’s signals, but there is trust that it’s doing what its doing for a good reason that needs tending to. I talk about body trust a lot with my clients around hunger cues. When someone has spent a long time suppressing and ignoring hunger cues, they often find that hunger cues are absent or spring up in confusing ways. But just like building trust in a relationship, when they show up over time an honor those cues with adequate nourishment, hunger and fullness cues start to show up more consistently.

P.S. Body Trust is also a trauma-informed framework for body image healing developed by Dana Sturtevant and Hilary Kinavey and Hilary. Highly recommend their professional trainings and their book, also called Body Trust

Body Confidence

Body confidence is the feeling that arises in feeling good about your body. You might notice it when you feel good about your appearance, for example after putting on a favorite outfit. It also could be more about your body’s ability or capacity to do something, perhaps in anticipation of a sports match or other physical task.

Body Compassion

Body compassion is an understanding, kind, and empathetic view towards your body. With body compassion, there is recognition of hardship, suffering, and the fact that your body has tried it’s best to carry you through life and all of its trials and tribulations. For my clients who have experienced trauma, disordered eating, or significant illness or injury, body compassion has been one of the most healing feelings to cultivate. It’s a reminder that no matter how you feel about your body and it’s appearance, it’s endured a lot in it’s quest to simply keep you alive.

Body Love

The phrase body love might conjure up images of Ashley Graham’s instagram vibes, but I think body love is deeper and in some ways more accessible than that. I like to think of it similar to the love you feel in a long term relationship. Just as love isn't always lust, you can have days or weeks where you don't particularly like your body, or feel very connected to it. You may even have specific things you really don't like about your body, just like there may be things you don’t like about someone you love! Still, there is a deep, caring, and unconditional love for your body, and a knowing you guys are together for the long haul.

Body Liberation

Body liberation as a movement is the breaking down of systems and societal values that designate certain bodies more worthy, valued, and respectable than others, including white supremacy, the patriarchy, and of course, anti fatness. We can also experience body liberation within ourselves from a body image perspective. This feeling arises in moments that you’re breaking free from societal standards and taking up as much space as you need.

What if I can’t Love my Body?

Does the idea of loving your body or body positivity feel out of reach? That’s OK! Hopefully you are able to identify other parts of the body image spectrum that do connect with you or feel more accessible. To me, the body image spectrum is a reminder that how we feel about and relate to our body is a fluid thing, and that feeling more comfortable and connected in our skin isn’t dependent on what you see in the mirror.

A couple notes on the body image spectrum. First, while it’s called a body image spectrum, really it’s more of a matrix, or an umbrella. While I have this loosely organized from more negative to positive body image, it’s not exact and where terms fall could be adjusted person to person based on what feels more important.

Second, despite this being a spectrum, body image healing is not a stepwise process. While on the macro level that might be what it looks like, body image healing definitely isn’t linear! Because bodies are constantly changing, and because we’ll have experiences throughout life that impact body image, it’s very normal to jump around the spectrum.

Lastly, it’s possible to experience multiple parts of the body image spectrum at one time. For example, you might engage in an act of body liberation, like speaking up for yourself at the doctors office, and part of you might feel empowered, while another part might be experiencing body hate or shame. You might feel body confidence as you get ready to run a race or do a workout, while also experiencing body tolerance towards you weight or body size, and body compassion as you recover from an injury. It’s very normal to have mixed feelings.

How to use the body image spectrum.

The body image spectrum is a tool I utilize quite a bit when exploring body image with clients. When we first go over the body image spectrum, I love to spend some time exploring the different aspects of body image and how/when they show up. Even clients who are really struggling with body image are often surprised to realize there are times they experience body love or confidence. Learning that there is more to body image than body positivity can be really validating!

One of my favorite ways to use the body image spectrum is to explore what situations trigger feelings of body hate or dislike, and what situations bring up more positive body image feelings. With this information, we can develop coping strategies for more triggering situations, while also building in more time spent doing things that evoke positive feelings.

As you’re exploring the body image spectrum, are there any terms that connect with you? Are there aspects of the body image spectrum that you’d like to cultivate more of in your life? How could you do that? The body image spectrum can be a tool to help you get clarity on your personal goals for body image healing.

At Rachael Hartley Nutrition, we know that food, eating, and body image are intrinsically linked. If you’re looking for support healing your relationship with food and your body, feel free to explore our practice philosophy and services, and reach out if you’re interested in working together. We work with clients throughout the US and are licensed to practice in multiple states, and are in network with BCBS so you may be able to work with us with no cost out of pocket.

This blog post on the body image spectrum was originally published in 2017 and has been updated to give you the best possible content.

What If I Can't Love My Body? Exploring The Body Image Spectrum.