Most people by now have heard the message that we should stop criticizing our bodies and learn to love them instead. Body positivity has been around for many decades, challenging traditional beauty standards and the narrow idea that only certain bodies are worth celebrating.

Then the idea of body neutrality took some of the pressure off loving your body by suggesting you didn’t have to feel particularly good or bad about it. People could appreciate their bodies for what they do without making appearance such a big deal.

A phrase worth knowing is “body image flexibility.” It might sound like the latest addition to the body image conversation, but psychologists have actually been studying it for more than a decade.

The basic premise is slightly different. You don’t have to love how you look. You don’t have to feel neutral about it necessarily either. Body image flexibility allows negative thoughts and feelings about your body without........

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