DeepSummary
The episode discusses the concept of body neutrality, an alternative approach to body positivity that focuses on stripping away the added meaning, significance, and moral judgment we place on our bodies. Jesse Kneeland, author of "Body Neutral," explains how body neutrality allows individuals to view their bodies neutrally, without letting their appearance have power over them or impact their sense of worth.
Sami Schalk, author of "Black Disability," discusses black disability politics and the importance of understanding disability as a political and social issue, not just a personal or medical one. She emphasizes the interconnectedness of ableism and other systems of oppression like racism, and the need to dismantle these systems together.
Rae Johnson, author of "Embodied Activism," introduces the concept of embodied microaggressions and the importance of paying attention to nonverbal communication, such as body language, in addressing implicit bias and power dynamics. She advocates for reconnecting with our bodies as a way to transform society and cultivate authentic connection.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Body neutrality is an approach that focuses on stripping away the added meaning, significance, and moral judgment we place on our bodies, allowing us to view them neutrally without letting our appearance impact our sense of worth.
- Black disability politics emphasizes understanding disability as a political and social issue, not just a personal or medical one, and recognizing the interconnectedness of ableism and other systems of oppression.
- Embodied activism encourages reconnecting with our bodies and paying attention to nonverbal communication, such as body language, as a way to address implicit bias, power dynamics, and cultivate authentic connection.
- The "big lie" perpetuated by body image issues is that our bodies are the source of our problems, but body neutrality aims to dismantle this belief by encouraging individuals to meet their emotional needs in the body they have now.
- Embracing disability identity and community can provide a valuable perspective and tools for navigating the world in a way that is empowering and better suited to one's body and mind.
- Somatic first aid, such as following one's breath and paying attention to bodily sensations, can help soothe, center, and ground individuals in their bodies, especially during times of distress or dysregulation.
- Pleasure activism recognizes that access to pleasure is political and encourages individuals to embrace and make space for pleasure as a way to sustain liberation work and foster joy.
- Claiming the word "disabled" can be a powerful tool for finding community and realizing that one's experiences are not isolated, but shared by others.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Body neutrality, as I define it, is the process or ability to strip away all of the added meaning and significance and moral judgment and all of the interpretation and everything from your body or your appearance, so you can just see it for what it is, which is neutral, morally neutral.“ by Jesse Kneeland
- “Somatic first aid is really about having some strategies to help soothe, center ground, and settle your body. Taking a breath and follow the exhale. Not just the inhale, but really follow the exhale of the breath. When we exhale and we sigh out, we just go, ha. Our minds think, oh, if I'm sighing, I must be in a safe situation. And so it starts to believe.“ by Rae Johnson
- “The purpose of trying to look a certain way is to, let's say, meet an emotional need. Let's say you are lonely and want more, deeper connections. And so you're like, okay, if only I could look a certain way, I would get that need for connection methods. It doesn't work if you don't believe that. The reason you don't have connection is because you don't look good enough.“ by Jesse Kneeland
Entities
Company
Person
Organization
Book
Episode Information
To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Wisconsin Public Radio
5/18/24
When you look at your body in the mirror, do you love what you see? Do you pick out the things you don’t like? Maybe you’ve heard of body positivity. But what if we just felt neutral about our bodies? In this episode, we talk about our bodies — how we move through the world in these fleshy vessels, how it feels to exist in our bodies in a world that asks so much from them. How do we live full and embodied lives?
Original Air Date: September 30, 2023
Interviews In This Hour:
Finding Peace in Neutrality: Jessi Kneeland on Rethinking Body Positivity — The Body Speaks: Rae Johnson on Reconnecting with Ourselves to Transform Society — Multiple Identities, One Body: Sami Schalk Discusses Black Disability Politics
Guests:
Jessi Kneeland, Rae Johnson, Sami Schalk
Never want to miss an episode? Subscribe to the podcast.
Want to hear more from us, including extended interviews and favorites from the archive? Subscribe to our newsletter.