Hey everyone, thanks to those of you who read. This week, I wanted to write about a more serious subject matter that I know a lot of people our age struggle with. Honestly, it’s something people of all ages struggle with.
Body image is very complex, and the issue has many layers. I know it can seem privileged or distasteful to have the way you view your body as the biggest problem in your life when so many people around the world struggle to have their basic needs met or experience violence and real firsthand danger. I think negative body image and the mental health struggles around it are more prominent in Western countries, both due to the culture and the privilege. Aside from this fact, it is still true that millions of people struggle with this. So today, I want to touch on why so many people struggle with this issue and how we can work towards solving this problem. How can we improve our body image? What can we do on the individual level to see our bodies more neutrally or positively, and then in what ways can we address the culture and the societal issues that have crafted this problem that so many of us live with?
So, why do so many people struggle with body image?
Body image is primarily influenced by our experiences and our environment. How our families, friends, peers, and people in the media talk about their bodies and appearance heavily influences how we talk about our own bodies and appearance. The way media and social media especially portray women can also influence how we view our bodies. There’s a lot of pressure for everyone, women especially, to look a certain way. There is an ideal body type that our media and culture glorifies. Unfortunately, a lot of us don’t look like that.
Other reasons people struggle with body image are teasing and bullying from peers, underlying mental health conditions, yo-yo dieting and excessive exercise patterns, health misinformation in the media, weight bias, growing up in a household that puts a lot of emphasis on looks, and appearance, and peer pressure to fit in with others your age and have others like you based on your body.
Body image and self-perception are multifaceted issues, and the individual reasons people struggle with it will differ tremendously. Something someone may have felt was significant and largely influenced a negative body image can be easily brushed off by someone else. It depends on a variety of factors, such as a person’s foundation of emotional health, support systems, how sensitive someone is, their upbringing and environment, and so much more. What I have found, though, after a little bit of research is that the main drivers of negative body image are media and social comparison, experiences such as comments or bullying (especially in early childhood and adolescence), trauma, abuse, and societal pressure to fit a specific ideal.
So we see that there’s a problem. We know so many people struggle with poor body image. Now, what can we do? How can we solve the problem and improve our body image?
How can I improve my body image?
We can do multiple things on the individual level to help ourselves view our bodies more positively or, at the very least, neutrally. I made a list of 10 things you can do to start improving your body image if this is something you struggle with.
- Respect your body. When you take care of your body by exercising, eating healthy, and getting good sleep, it can be easier to feel more positive about your body, even if you have things you wish you could change about it. If you’re unhappy with your appearance, it’s fundamental that you don’t let your self-care practices suffer. We don’t have to love how we look all the time, but taking care of ourselves can teach us to love and appreciate our bodies even during the times we don’t.
- Focus on health and function. Ask yourself, “What can my body do?”. Focus your attention on your abilities, your strength, your health, and the way your body works for you. Our bodies can do incredible things. How they function on a biological, chemical, and physiological level is astonishing. The body system in and of itself and the mechanisms that take place to keep us alive is something astounding to be acknowledged. So acknowledge it. Even if you’re relatively unhappy with your body, it can still do great things. Our bodies are a blessing and a privilege; we must always remember this. It puts things into perspective.
- Avoid comparisons. Comparing yourself makes no sense. I have to tell myself this all the time. We’re individuals. And where some people are lacking, others aren’t, and vice versa. That’s how the world works. We can’t all be great at everything because then nobody is great at anything. If our bodies all looked the same, life would be boring. If we all had the same skills, interests, and abilities, nothing would get done. Love your individuality and treasure your uniqueness. “You are the only you there is and ever will be. Do not deny the world its one and only chance to bask in your brilliance.” ― Jen Sincero
- Dress in things you like and find comfortable. Honestly, nothing is worse than clothing that’s too tight or unflattering. If anyone were to look into my closet, I’d think they’d immediately know I felt that way. Comfort is key. If my clothes are too tight or digging into my sides, I’m gonna be a heinous bitch the whole day. When you wear clothes that fit well and reflect your personality, confidence becomes easier.
- Find a hobby. This may seem unrelated, but it really does help. When you have a passion or activity you love to do that gets you excited; it can be easy to focus mental energy on that rather than your body. I love my little hobbies. They keep me excited and definitely can be a distraction on the days I’m not feeling the best about my body or appearance.
- Challenge negative thoughts. I talked about this in last week’s post on intuitive eating, and the idea is pretty well the same. When you catch yourself feeling negative about your body or thinking a negative thought, challenge it. Is it true, or is it just a thought? What evidence is there that makes that negative thought a fact? Observe these thoughts, but don’t buy into the storyline. A lot of times, there is an underlying situation or circumstance that is causing us to have a poor body image. Explore the root of the actual problem and do what you can to solve it.
- Educate yourself about media portrayals. It helps so much to know that most of what we see in the media is digitally altered, photoshopped, and artificial bullshit. A lot of celebrities get work done, and while I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with that, I do think it’s wrong not to disclose it to the fan base. Especially when that fan base is primarily young girls who now have these unrealistic ideas of what a woman should look like in their minds. These ideals are not attainable unless there is surgical intervention, which does happen to be trending upwards. And it’s being done at younger and younger ages. Young people are super impressionable, so it’s important to be transparent about these things. Further, I believe digital altering in magazines and advertising should be banned. There’s no reason for it. Authenticity and transparency in branding can help us see people as they are, which in turn can make us all feel a little bit better about ourselves.
- Avoid appearance-based conversations and people who only talk about looks. It can be draining being around people who are solely focused on how they look and always making comments about how they appear. While half of me truly has compassion for these people because it does suck when the only thing you can think about is how you look, the other half of me would love to blatantly tell them to shut the fuck up. Because it is annoying. Having someone constantly bring themselves down or speak poorly about themselves to you. Like, what the fuck do you want me to say? The same goes for people who constantly shit on other people’s bodies or appearances. That shits not cool. Stay away from that. Also, just know that any person who is secure with themselves and happy with their body will never speak negatively about someone else’s body. I can say this for a fact because when I used to tear down others for how they looked, I hated my own body. Now that I’ve grown up a little bit, I physically cringe anytime I hear someone say a negative comment about someone else’s body.
- Have non-physical traits you love about yourself. When you know that you have more going for you than just your appearance, it is easier to love yourself. The way we look is just one of the thousands of things that make us unique. We each have talents or things we’re good at, specific character traits that make us who we are. If we can focus more on the things that are ingrained into our personality rather than what we look like, being more comfortable with our bodies becomes easier. This is because you can recognize that you’re more than a body. We sell ourselves short too often and don’t take credit where it’s due for how truly amazing and important we are.
- Don’t be afraid to get help. Struggling with body image is a very real and often very serious mental health issue that can require the help of an accredited healthcare professional to solve. While it can be uncomfortable to talk with people about this topic, if you seriously struggle and find it hindering your life and relationships, please reach out and let someone know. Seeking help from a professional could ultimately be the decision that helps you feel more comfortable with your body.
Now that we have some changes we can make on the individual level, let’s focus on how we can address the culture and the societal issues that have crafted this problem that so many of us live with.
So, what can be done in terms of policy and administration to improve the issue of poor body image?
- Media literacy campaigns. Media literacy should be explored in the school environment. So many young people struggle with body image issues, and evaluating the ways the media tries to manipulate and portray people can be helpful to students in more ways than one. Learning about how the media drives comparison is also important because it allows children to focus on these influences that they may have been unaware of.
- Policy. I get that it’s a bit extreme, but I do believe that clothing, cosmetics, and other brands should not be allowed to edit images in their advertising to show idealized images of people just for the sake of selling a product. There needs to be regulation on all companies selling clothing, makeup, and lifestyle products so these patterns do not go unchecked. There is also an increased need for social media regulations for similar reasons.
- Diverse and unedited representation. The media must make efforts to be more inclusive in their branding and advertising. This has to be a willful choice made by all those involved in media production. Companies selling a product and those involved in TV media portrayals need to intentionally add more diversity to highlight the fact that more people live and exist on this planet other than what is “ideal.”
- Accountability. The media must be held accountable for the ways in which it doctors images to unrealistic ideals, thus propelling increased body dissatisfaction. Holding the industry accountable is a necessary step to changing the society that perpetuates negative body image for so many people. This can take place on the policy level but can also involve boycotting certain brands you feel aren’t body-inclusive or diverse in their advertising and media portrayals.
- Increased mental health services. This would allow greater access to support when those in distress need it.
- More educated public health campaigns. Campaigns focused on obesity should be careful not to create stigma in the general public but instead, encourage health-enhancing behaviors rather than driving weight loss as the primary goal. What some people don’t know is that health isn’t solely determined by body size but rather by the habits you practice. Someone who has a bigger body may be healthier than someone who has a slimmer body. You can’t determine a person’s health status just by looking at them. If this were the case, it’d save us a lot of trouble. Healthcare providers could just look through Instagram and start prescribing our medication. But you see, that’s not how that shit works. Also, let’s stop weighing kids in school and calling that shit a “public health campaign.” It’s not. It’s just fucking humiliating.
- Education. Both children and those responsible for raising children need to be educated on this matter. Those who raise children need to understand the weight of their comments and the influence their actions have on the child’s behavior and self-perception. Children also must be educated from a young age about their bodies and abilities and how to view these things in a positive light. The way we feel about our bodies is developed from an early age, so the impressions made in early childhood must be positive ones. The way adults talk about food, appearance, and body shape around young children matters, and therefore, we must educate those about the issue to best prevent instilling a negative body image in our youth early on.
- Activism. There is a growing realm of body-positive organizations and activists that work to move the culture in a different direction; Lord knows we need it.
Closing:
If you read this, thanks. I hope it helps in some way if this is something you struggle with.
I feel so much compassion for all the youth and young men and women who feel inadequate because of their bodies or appearance. My heart really does go out to anyone who faces issues with poor body image. It’s not fun. It’s rather exhausting. My hope is that one day soon, this issue can affect much less people. With policy change and increased education and mental health services, there is real potential for positive outcomes.
“If you retain nothing else, always remember the most important rule of beauty, which is: who cares?” –Tina Fey.