Body Image
Most people are familiar with the term "body image". If you have an eating disorder or know someone who does you are especially familiar with the terms "negative body image" and "distorted body image" . We all toss around these words freely, but what exactly is a body image? In this article I will attempt to explain what a body image is, where it comes from, how it effects an individual's sense of self, and ways it can be changed and enhanced.
A body image is the way one perceives ones own body. A person with a healthy body image is accepting of her (or his) own body, feels comfortable moving her body, enjoys nurturing her body with moderate exercise, feeds her body when it's hungry with what it is hungry for, clothes her body in clothes that feel comfortable and that she likes and feels attractive in. A person with a healthy body image is not always trying to change her body, is not always thinking self-deprecating thoughts about her body, does not ignore hunger pangs, and does not feed emotional hunger with food. A person with a healthy body image also accepts normal bodily changes such as pregnancy and aging.
A person with a negative body image is never satisfied with his or her own body. Often the body image is not just negative but distorted as well. Examples are the emaciated anorexic who feels fat, the average weight bulimic who may feel fat, or an obese person who may deny and minimize her weight. Even more extreme are those patients whose body image changes depending on their food intake. Some sufferers feel fine until they eat one cookie, then they feel obese!
From the moment a child is born their sense of self begins to develop in relation to the rest of the world. They are influenced by their parents and society. Unfortunately, in this culture girls are treated differently from boys from a very early age. Often the focus is on a little girls appearance. Friends and family reward beauty and cuteness. For boys the focus is on strength and agility. Thus, the early dichotomy; girls focus on how their body looks, boys focus on what their bodies can do. Today fleshiness is viewed as a sign of weakness. A lean angular body is preferred and has become a symbol of control, independence and power. However, the female body, due to it's reproductive capacity is naturally soft and round, particularly in the thighs, buttocks, abdomen and breast. Therefore the body image women often try to create is in conflict with their biological nature. This can lead to depression and/or eating disorders.
In recent years this focus on external, superficial qualities has also begun to effect men. This can be seen in the preponderance of body building magazines, gyms, and commercials for products to treat hair loss. Men are no longer immune. This way of thinking, if not challenged, can last a lifetime for both sexes.
Over the years this focus on appearance can broaden. For those with an unhealthy self-esteem, a negative body image can become a way to externalize all inner conflict. For instance "Am I good enough?" becomes "Am I thin enough? or " Am I good looking enough?" It is a way of condensing all fears and concerns into one measurable entity (weight). The sufferer no longer has to deal with emotional issues, internal conflict, rejection, major life decisions, or fears.
What can you do to change your negative body image to a more positive one? Fortunately, there are strategies which can truly make a difference. First, assess how much you expose yourself to frustrating appearance messages in the media. Do you read diet articles constantly and look enviously at the "after" pictures? Do you read Vogue and Glamour (or the infamous Victoria's Secret Catalog) and then lament your own image in the mirror? Immersing yourself in this kind of media as well as most popular TV shows fosters unhealthy comparisons. I strongly encourage you to substitute different kinds of magazines or reading materials. Watch less TV.
Focus on how you feel, rather than on how you look. Engage in some pleasurable physical activity because it makes you feel good (not to burn calories or reshape your body). Eliminate negative body talk ( I feel so fat) . Substitute more positive body statements ( my body is strong and powerful, my body has helped me). Focus on the parts of your body that you do like. Plan at least one nurturing activity for yourself daily (a bubble bath, a walk, talking to a friend). Keep in mind that your appearance is only one small part of who you are. You are composed of hundreds of qualities which have nothing to do with your appearance. Your intellect, sense of humor, warmth, compassion, and empathy will all exist regardless of your body.
Put your appearance in perspective. Remind yourself that the models and actresses or actors who you wish to emulate represent an infintessimal part of the population and that many of them are bulimic or anorexic. Men who read body building magazines must remind themselves that bodybuilders and trainers spend hours a day in the gym and may have an unhealthy obsession or a full blown eating disorder. Recognize that beauty is subjective. True beauty comes from within. People who are self-assured, comfortable with themselves and their bodies, truly like themselves, focus on their strengths, and are not afraid to smile are very attractive even if they do not have "classic features" and a "model" body. Many find it very enlightening to look at artwork from other eras or other cultures. It is certainly eyeopening to realize that throughout the ages all different types of bodies and features were considered beautiful. How much healthier to accept one's own biological destiny with grace than to live life in a constant no win battle against nature.
A body image is the way one perceives ones own body. A person with a healthy body image is accepting of her (or his) own body, feels comfortable moving her body, enjoys nurturing her body with moderate exercise, feeds her body when it's hungry with what it is hungry for, clothes her body in clothes that feel comfortable and that she likes and feels attractive in. A person with a healthy body image is not always trying to change her body, is not always thinking self-deprecating thoughts about her body, does not ignore hunger pangs, and does not feed emotional hunger with food. A person with a healthy body image also accepts normal bodily changes such as pregnancy and aging.
A person with a negative body image is never satisfied with his or her own body. Often the body image is not just negative but distorted as well. Examples are the emaciated anorexic who feels fat, the average weight bulimic who may feel fat, or an obese person who may deny and minimize her weight. Even more extreme are those patients whose body image changes depending on their food intake. Some sufferers feel fine until they eat one cookie, then they feel obese!
From the moment a child is born their sense of self begins to develop in relation to the rest of the world. They are influenced by their parents and society. Unfortunately, in this culture girls are treated differently from boys from a very early age. Often the focus is on a little girls appearance. Friends and family reward beauty and cuteness. For boys the focus is on strength and agility. Thus, the early dichotomy; girls focus on how their body looks, boys focus on what their bodies can do. Today fleshiness is viewed as a sign of weakness. A lean angular body is preferred and has become a symbol of control, independence and power. However, the female body, due to it's reproductive capacity is naturally soft and round, particularly in the thighs, buttocks, abdomen and breast. Therefore the body image women often try to create is in conflict with their biological nature. This can lead to depression and/or eating disorders.
In recent years this focus on external, superficial qualities has also begun to effect men. This can be seen in the preponderance of body building magazines, gyms, and commercials for products to treat hair loss. Men are no longer immune. This way of thinking, if not challenged, can last a lifetime for both sexes.
Over the years this focus on appearance can broaden. For those with an unhealthy self-esteem, a negative body image can become a way to externalize all inner conflict. For instance "Am I good enough?" becomes "Am I thin enough? or " Am I good looking enough?" It is a way of condensing all fears and concerns into one measurable entity (weight). The sufferer no longer has to deal with emotional issues, internal conflict, rejection, major life decisions, or fears.
What can you do to change your negative body image to a more positive one? Fortunately, there are strategies which can truly make a difference. First, assess how much you expose yourself to frustrating appearance messages in the media. Do you read diet articles constantly and look enviously at the "after" pictures? Do you read Vogue and Glamour (or the infamous Victoria's Secret Catalog) and then lament your own image in the mirror? Immersing yourself in this kind of media as well as most popular TV shows fosters unhealthy comparisons. I strongly encourage you to substitute different kinds of magazines or reading materials. Watch less TV.
Focus on how you feel, rather than on how you look. Engage in some pleasurable physical activity because it makes you feel good (not to burn calories or reshape your body). Eliminate negative body talk ( I feel so fat) . Substitute more positive body statements ( my body is strong and powerful, my body has helped me). Focus on the parts of your body that you do like. Plan at least one nurturing activity for yourself daily (a bubble bath, a walk, talking to a friend). Keep in mind that your appearance is only one small part of who you are. You are composed of hundreds of qualities which have nothing to do with your appearance. Your intellect, sense of humor, warmth, compassion, and empathy will all exist regardless of your body.
Put your appearance in perspective. Remind yourself that the models and actresses or actors who you wish to emulate represent an infintessimal part of the population and that many of them are bulimic or anorexic. Men who read body building magazines must remind themselves that bodybuilders and trainers spend hours a day in the gym and may have an unhealthy obsession or a full blown eating disorder. Recognize that beauty is subjective. True beauty comes from within. People who are self-assured, comfortable with themselves and their bodies, truly like themselves, focus on their strengths, and are not afraid to smile are very attractive even if they do not have "classic features" and a "model" body. Many find it very enlightening to look at artwork from other eras or other cultures. It is certainly eyeopening to realize that throughout the ages all different types of bodies and features were considered beautiful. How much healthier to accept one's own biological destiny with grace than to live life in a constant no win battle against nature.