The Power of Body Neutrality with Jessi Kneeland
How we are perceived by ourselves or by others can have a real effect on our lives. It can be exhausting and overwhelming to think about the “perfect” body when everything, from our words and actions, assigns a lot of value to how we look. Sometimes, your mind can be critical and obsessive about your physical appearance, preventing you to live your life to the fullest.
In today’s episode, Jessi Kneeland shares their new book, Body Neutral, which talks about various tips and strategies for overcoming body image issues to have a healthier relationship with your body. Jessi will discuss how changing the language and mindset behind the “healthy body” can also change your perception of your value and others. Jessi will also share their journey towards body neutrality and advice on how you can start your healing journey as well.
If you’re struggling with self-worth and negative body image issues, this episode is for you!
Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Want to level up your compliments? Discover how to change the nature of your compliments and make a more personal impact on others
Learn how to heal your relationship with your body through body neutrality
Find out the different types of body image avatars and start transforming how you view your body
Resources
Get a copy of Jessi’s book: Body Neutral: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Body Image Issues here:
Connect with Jessi:
Episode Highlights
[02:10] Breaking down narratives around female objectification and visibility
Jessi shares that aging and a decline in attention and objectification are joyful experiences from a neutral perspective.
However, people who get their self-worth from their physical appearance may experience the opposite and see aging as a massive loss.
Associating your self-worth with your appearance comes from subscribing to society’s anti-aging ideals and celebrity culture.
[04:58] “It's different for everyone but it is a very dominant, I would say narrative for women who, at least at some point, aligned to their identity and sense of value in the world with the way they looked as they age for that to be very difficult.” - Click Here to Tweet This
[06:38] Getting external validation from physical appearance
As humans, our community values reflect our values.
The idea of how you look, whether it has a negative or positive value, shapes your perception of self and of how you fit in the world.
We are all affected by how we look because society places a lot of value on physical appearances.
[10:02] Why Jessi Wrote “Body Neutral”
Jessi has years of experience coaching various clients on body neutrality.
The book became a way for them to create a system that can be accessible to everyone and teach them achievable steps toward body neutrality.
[12:05] “The thought of body neutrality is it's this more approachable, more achievable, end goal to doing body image healing work because you can get to a place where maybe you don't love how you look in the mirror. And that's okay because it doesn't have any power over you.” - Click Here to Tweet This
[13:08] Reframing the Language of Compliments
Complimenting a person’s appearance isn’t innately bad. However, because of the oppressive systems we have in place, our physical appearance creates adverse effects on our self-worth.
You can change the way you compliment by sharing what you appreciate about the person you’re talking to without bringing up what they look like.
The deeper and more vulnerable compliment has more impact on your relationship and gives the other person the feeling of being valued apart from their looks.
It can also be meaningful for partners in a romantic relationship to diversify their compliments and go beyond physical compliments.
[19:55] What Body Image Avatars Can Do For You
Body image avatars represent the root cause of body issues. It sheds light on why that particular issue is causing an impact on how you view your body.
Jessi shares the four main categories of body image avatars:
The self-objectify
The high achiever
The outsider
The runner
The four avatars point you in the right direction in changing your relationship with your body and achieving body neutrality. Listen to the full episode for more details on the description of each body image avatar!
[28:56] How to Achieve Body Neutrality
The body neutrality blueprint is a step-by-step guide on how you can break down the work you need to do to achieve body neutrality.
[30:47] “If you start paying attention to the pattern of when do you have a good body image day, and when you have a bad body image day, like what set it off, that gives us a ton of information about how it's literally functioning for you and what it's protecting you from, or at least trying to.” - Click Here to Tweet This
The blueprint can look different for everybody, depending on what body issues they are working on.
[33:22] Relationship of Nutrition and Exercise to Body Image
Nutrition and exercise play a big role in how people view their bodies. And while eating a balanced diet and exercising are important factors in a healthy lifestyle, they shouldn’t become a significant stressor or obsession in your life.
[34:38] “Health is a combination of physical health and mental health. Right. So like, to me, I just think nutrition gets over-glamorized as a thing that's so important, and it comes from diet culture.” - Click Here to Tweet This
You are worthy of love, no matter what you eat or how you move your body.
Becoming in tune with your body’s wants and needs can help you determine the best way for you to eat.
[38:32] Jessi’s Journey in Having a Healthy Body Image
Jessi worked as a personal trainer in New York and felt like they had all the answers when it comes to weight loss.
When they read and researched the science behind dieting and weight loss, Jessi gradually changed their mindset on what a healthy body looks like.
Jessi left the fitness industry and started coaching soon after.
[44:12] “Whether it's a nutritionist or magazine article, or like a celebrity like we're told, ignore your own hunger cues, fullness cues, your own cravings, shut all that down completely and do this thing that someone else is telling you to do. So it's also really disempowering.” - Click Here to Tweet This
[45:07] Takeaways from the Conversation
Body image issues make sense and are valid.
Once you realize that you are struggling, you can learn how to move past them and have a healthier relationship with your body.
About Jessi
Jessi Kneeland is a queer and non-binary writer, speaker, and body neutrality coach. Their book, Body Neutral: A Revolutionary Guide to Overcoming Body Image Issues, talks about how you can understand, process, and heal your body image issues through the power of body neutrality. This book includes actionable steps and methods you can use to help you reconnect and heal your relationship with your body.
If you want to learn more about Jessi, you can visit their website or connect through Instagram or Facebook!
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