Publishers Weekly
03/13/2023
Kneeland presents a fresh approach to body acceptance in their thought-provoking debut. Drawing on their experience as a personal trainer and body image coach, the author argues that the body positivity movement and its “all bellies are beautiful” slogans are flawed since they tie self-worth to appearance. Instead, Kneeland advocates for “body neutrality,” which involves “stripping our bodies of all false... meaning,” and is a more realistic goal for those unable to meet society’s thin, white ideal. To achieve body neutrality, readers should identify what drives their body fixations (and associated diet and exercise behaviors)—such as winning external validation, or feeling a sense of psychological control over their life—and then brainstorm healthier coping mechanisms to address the root issue. Readers should also envision a future in which their emotional needs are met. Doing so, the author writes, will free readers from obsessing over appearance and allow them to ask themselves, for example “What would need to be different for to stop placing so much... power on body?” and then formulate micro-steps toward that goal. Kneeland outlines an inclusive attitude toward self-acceptance aimed at readers of all races and gender identities, and the advice is informed without getting preachy. Anyone hoping to repair a troubled relationship with their body should give this a look. (June)
From the Publisher
One of PureWow’s 11 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in June
One of Love What Matters’s 5 Books About Body Neutrality To Add To Your Reading List
“Body neutrality means rejecting the idea of having to love or hate our bodies and instead just accept the fact that they’re there. Rather than celebrating the way our body looks, why don’t we focus on what our bodies can do? In writing this guide, longtime personal trainer and coach, Jessi Kneeland (they/them) set out to discover what it truly takes to help people understand, process and heal their body image issues for good. According to Kneeland, there’s a reason you're unhappy with your body, and Body Neutral seeks to help you discover what that reason is and how to defuse its power, freeing you to enjoy a life of confidence, security and satisfaction.”
—PureWow
“A must-read book that dives deep into the concept of body neutrality. It serves as a great jumping-off point to understanding this concept. Kneeland offers valuable insights and practical advice on how to cultivate a more positive relationship with your body. Through personal stories and thought-provoking exercises, Kneeland encourages readers to embrace body neutrality, focusing on self-acceptance and appreciation rather than constant scrutiny and body shame.”
—Love What Matters
“Body Neutral is an incredible resource for those who are looking to find greater peace with their bodies in order to live a more empowered, joyful, and meaningful life.”
—Matt McGorry
“In Body Neutral, Kneeland illustrates a liberating pathway to help people untangle their self-worth from their body image, healing their perceptions of their bodies as they go. Navigating the work of body neutrality through identifying ‘body image avatars,’ Kneeland helps people get to the root of their body anxiety and utilize strategies to heal. This is an important book for people ready to interrogate their feelings about their bodies and move toward body neutrality in practical, manageable steps.”
—Lexie Kite, PhD, coauthor of More Than a Body
“Refreshing, transformative, revolutionary. Body Neutral is an actionable, practical guide to overcoming not only our individual body image suffering, but collectively dismantling the hierarchies that exist at the root of these issues, and moving toward greater justice, fairness, and equity for all bodies.”
—Molly Galbraith, cofounder of Girls Gone Strong and creator of GGS Academy
“There’s a lot here for readers who are serious about coming to terms with their body image and willing to do the work to make it happen.”
—Booklist
“Kneeland presents a fresh approach to body acceptance in their thought-provoking debut. . . . Kneeland outlines an inclusive attitude toward self-acceptance aimed at readers of all races and gender identities, and the advice is informed without getting preachy. Anyone hoping to repair a troubled relationship with their body should give this a look.”
—Publishers Weekly
Library Journal
★ 06/10/2024
As a survivor of sexual violence and disordered eating, life coach and former personal trainer Kneeland has experienced significant trauma, and their TED Talk on body neutrality offered up those experiences in order to suggest that the currently buzzy trend of body positivity isn't just elusive: for many, it's impossible and even triggers additional feelings of self-recrimination. Their new book is action-oriented and accessible, organized first around a debunking of body myths and then a classification of archetypes or "avatars" (dominant body image types) and culminating with a step-by-step approach to achieving body neutrality, which is not a fixed goal but rather an adaptable, fluid outcome. From body checking and self-objectification to validation, humiliation, shame, and much more, this book strips away the socially constructed rules that govern our valuing of bodies and provides highly individualized pathways into body neutrality that anyone can add to their lives. VERDICT A must-read for anyone interested in wellness trends, trauma and embodiment, and gender theory. It's as suitable for academic libraries as it is for everyday readers tired of fighting against their desire to be or seem a specific way.—Emily Bowles
