Body Neutrality: An Exploration for Women in Sports

By Grace Savage

*TW: mention of EDs*

In a world where body types seem to come in and out of style as quickly as clothes do, many women are left feeling stuck in a battle for perfection and at odds with their own bodies. What’s more, the push for body positivity has risen to popularity congruently, creating an impossible-to-navigate contradiction where women are simultaneously told to change how they look to conform to a new standard for beauty, while also loving the body they are in 24/7. For female athletes, who may also be feeling pressure to adhere to the physical standards of their sport, this can mean developing extremely negative body image and harmful behaviors.

Body neutrality is a new reaction to this dilemma. The concept first came to prominence in 2015, when fitness instructor Anne Poirier created a body neutrality workshop in Vermont. It proposes that instead of focusing on how our bodies look, we should instead focus on what our bodies can do for us. While there may always be things we want to change about ourselves and our bodies, body neutrality encourages us to be mindful and accept who we are today with an appreciation for the function of the bodies we are in.

For female athletes, body neutrality can also serve as a tool to achieve greater satisfaction and empowerment through playing sports.

“Telling women to simply love their bodies isn’t really fair because as women and as athletes we’ve been told the opposite our entire lives,” says Franki Mastrone, a student at the Hartt School for Performing Arts, and lifelong dancer. “A body neutral mindset is so important for women in sports because it allows us to recognize those feelings of dissatisfaction, but takes the power away from them. We cannot tell ourselves not to feel certain emotions, but we can choose whether we want to take action in them.”

Far too often, female athletes are faced with immense pressure to excel in their sport, often at the expense of listening to the things their bodies need in order to sustain a high level of activity. This, combined with societal pressure to conform to bodily ideals (or bodily ideals within their sport), can result in immensely harmful and dangerous behaviors including over-exercising and under-eating, both of which can lead to injury.

Kenzie Wilhelm, a junior nursing major, says when she used to run track and cross country, she struggled a lot with body dysmorphia. “Distance runners are usually very thin, so I thought if I was thinner I would be faster,” she said “I ended up with an eating disorder and many broken bones as a result of restricting so much for so long.”

Unfortunately, Wilhelm’s experience is not uncommon for numerous female athletes. What’s more, the mental bandwidth that is used up in worrying about our bodies often leads to resentment for the sport and weakened performance.

For Sophie Ciokaljo, a junior dance major at Butler University, her relationship with ballet was harmed due to constant feelings of inadequacy.

“Ballet definitely idealizes thinner, less developed bodies over others,” she said. “I’ve spent so much of my time in dance going back and forth between hating it and loving it, constantly questioning if continuing in the sport was worth my mental health and self-confidence.”

So how can female athletes address these concerns? Body neutrality encourages us to celebrate our bodies and find reward and validation in the freedom and autonomy that comes with exercise.

“It wasn’t until very recently, especially since we’re in COVID times, I’ve been really appreciative of my body in general- because I don’t treat it really poorly and I always try to maintain some type of movement, even if it’s happening within the home,”said Emma Cali, a junior product design major at Parsons School of Design and former soccer player.

Cali explained that there is validation, reward, and gratitude to be found in exercise, regardless of our physical performance or endurance.

“It's been really important not at all for the physicality, but for completing something. The sense that you’ve completed a task, but also being grateful that I have a healthy body and I'm not compromised and my immune system is strong and stays strong through keeping active, and I can exist and move freely in this world as my own personal agent. The personal agency is such a wonderful gift,” Cali said.

This is an important sentiment that many of us often take for granted. There is freedom in movement of all types, in ways both small and large. Something as simple as climbing a flight of stairs can become an accomplishment if we choose to see it that way and engage in it actively.

Our relationships with ourselves, our bodies, and our sports often evolve with time and maturity as well.

Alexis Erin, MSc, a former St. George’s University of London student as well as a dancer and former fencer, says she was more concerned with how she looked when she was younger. “I’m 27 now and have learned that having grace with myself is a lifeline, so my relationship with my body has shifted on that front,” she said. “I also think taking primary ownership of your body is important, understanding that your body is not property of your sport (despite the culture of your sport) helps.”

Finding empowerment in sports and athleticism can also help us learn things about ourselves.

For Anne Frascella, that was lacrosse. “Playing lacrosse was a visual example for myself to see how strong I was and that I was so capable to tackle the challenges the sport threw at me,” said the senior advertising major at Temple University and lacrosse player. “Playing lacrosse helped me grow a lot as an individual.”

For women at any level of sport, experience and a greater understanding of body neutrality can bring about a greater appreciation for the things our bodies help us accomplish. Just ask Suzanne Timerman, a former Olympic cyclist who has been a multi-sport personal trainer for over 35 years.

“I remember watching the Tour de France and saying, ‘I want to be a bike racer!’ and I did it, but the road to it was an extremely tough one,” Timerman said. Looking back, she says she knew she had to increase her pain tolerance greatly in order to reach her goals, and that in many ways, proper self care had to fall by the wayside. “I wasn’t eating properly, I wasn’t doing a lot of things properly. I was pushing my body beyond what in the long run, it should’ve been doing. I became a National Champion because of that, but if I knew then what I knew now, things would’ve been very different.”

Reflection, growth, and appreciation for the amazing feats we are able to accomplish with our bodies is just one way that women in sports can find greater validation and reward in movement. Being mindful of the things our bodies ask of us, and listening to our bodies when we need fuel, water, or rest, are integral to continuing to be able to partake in the sports we love—and that ability is precious and fleeting.

“Now I realize that I love my body...and at 61 it is not what it was when I was a pro athlete,” Timerman said. “But I love it for what it did for me, and I try so hard to take good care of it, and listen to it. I believe I have a great relationship with my body now. Now it's about enjoying and celebrating myself and living, and not planning for a race or stressing myself out, and looking forward to the small things…Life is a workout!”

Female athletes today have a plethora of resources, products, and increased awareness of the importance of eating right, keeping hydrated, and ensuring that we are listening to our bodies’ needs. However, it is still challenging for many female athletes to accept that it is okay to need rest or recuperation when we are fixated on pushing their physical performance.

Timerman offered this advice for women in sports today.

“I cannot stress enough how important it is to get your mind and body in-sync,” she urges. “There’s no pill to make this all happen… it is a process, not an event. So you have to have short and long-term goals, within reason. You have to eat properly. You have to rest. You have to listen. Athletes usually end up knowing their bodies very well... But do they listen? Usually no. And that can be a big downfall for a lot of athletes. Be kind to yourself, don’t push yourself into being ill all the time- that is a huge mistake.”

The road to unconditional self-love is a windy one, and while being involved with sports can be an amazing way for us to challenge ourselves and foster a connection with our bodies, it can also quickly become tied to our self-image and self-worth. Being able to move and be active on our own terms is a gift, and recognizing this is one way that women can combat feelings of inadequacy or an overly critical gaze when it comes to their bodies, as well as their sport. While it is unrealistic to think we can completely shut out those feelings of inadequacy overnight, body neutrality is an exceptional tool to remind ourselves of what is truly important long after we shoot the final goal, score that basket, cross a finish line, or take our bows on stage.