| The body positivity movement has always puzzled me. I'm all for fighting body negativity, but am dubious of the idea that a person could or should simply replace invalidating thoughts about their body with enthusiastic ones. Who wants to go through all the effort to find something nice to say about cellulite or wrinkles or sagging [fill in the blank] — much less to keep up that fiction? So, I was interested to learn about "body neutrality," which freelance writer Angela Haupt describes in her recent article as "the idea that we can accept our bodies as vessels that carry us through life, and not attach positive or negative feelings to our physicality." This makes much more sense to me. Whether we think about our bodies positively or negatively, it's a judgment. If we instead think about them as the vehicles that they are — like cars, for example — we can simply keep them fueled (with good nutrition), well maintained and balanced. Then we can go about our business without thinking much about how they look, right? (Yes, I know; cars are judged all the time, and that judgment extends to the people who own them. But it's the best analogy I could come up with.) Angela's article contains advice about how to adopt a body-neutral stance, including two tips that I— and, I suspect, a lot of other people — have been practicing for the entire pandemic without even knowing that these behaviors can aid in body neutrality. One tip is to spend less time getting ready, because this naturally leads to less time in front of a mirror, which means less time to fixate on your flaws. I have become a champ at this. I've been wearing the same wardrobe for months; my makeup routine basically consists of trying to make my eyebrows reappear; and the only thing I do with my too-long hair is pile it into a messy bun – which inevitably looks more mess than bun. The second tip is to wear comfortable clothes, because squeezing yourself into outfits that constrict and pull in various places will only call attention to your body. Again, winning! That wardrobe I mentioned consists of nothing but comfort: elastic-waist joggers, flannel shirts and Uggs, even though I am allegedly too old to be wearing the last. Of course, I only picked up these habits because I haven't been going to work in person or doing much socializing. But I do believe that spending less time in front of a mirror pondering my appearance — and zero time clad in anything more confining than leisurewear — has encouraged me to develop a refreshing, more body-neutral mind-set. (As has aging what seems like 10 years in two. The older I get, the more likely I am to think, Forget it; I'm going to do and wear what I want.) The issue is whether I can maintain this mentality as we get ready to return to the office this month. I've already vowed that I'll never go back to "hard pants." Score one for body neutrality. But then, I've also made an appointment with my hairstylist. Still, even if I retain only a slightly more body-neutral attitude I will consider it one of the rare benefits of the pandemic. Take care. | 
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