With about 80% of all women being significantly dissatisfied with their bodies and appearance-and with body image issues on the rise for men--it is crucial to address body image as a part of your overall well-being. Body image has to do with what you feel and believe about your body and physical appearance, how you picture your body in your own mind, as well as how you actually feel in your own skin. It is an important part of your general self-concept, comprising about 25-33% of your self-esteem.
A negative body image can be responsible for lowered self-esteem and can contribute to depression. Many people who struggle with a negative body image find that they experience self-consciousness which can cause problems in their social lives. For instance, they may avoid activities in which they would be looked at by others, they may make the assumption that others are as critical about their looks as they are themselves, they may feel insecure in their relationships, and they may experience decreased sexual fulfillment. Additionally, body image concerns can lead to compromised physical health due to the harmful effects that can emerge from dieting, excessive exercise, and dangerous weight loss drugs. Eating disorders may also become a factor. About 35% of those who try dieting progress to pathological dieting-where they experience impairment in their physical, emotional, social, and/or academic/vocational health-and about 25% of pathological dieters progress to full blown eating disorders. With a negative body image, the body becomes something that a person fights against.
A positive body image, on the other hand, usually reflects a clear and accurate perception of your body. It does not vary as much as a negative body image does as it is based on a firm foundation of self-acceptance and appreciation. Those who can achieve and maintain a positive body image tend to feel more confident-in general as well as specifically about their bodies. Because they respect their bodies, they are more likely to take good care of it through adequate rest, balanced nutrition, and moderate exercise. This self-care tends to increase their overall physical health. Those with better body image tend to see their bodies in perspective-they know their appearance is just one thing and is only a part of how they feel about themselves. Additionally, they can recognize their other assets and can base their self-esteem on all of the positive things about themselves. With a positive body image, the body becomes something that they work with, value, and enjoy.
Numerous factors influence our body image, many that come from the past and some that are related to current concerns. Certainly, cultural factors play a large role in shaping body image. Standards of attractiveness have changed over time. Current trends promote an exceptionally thin, yet both big-breasted and athletically-toned, physique for women and a lean, well-muscled look for men. The fashion industry reflects this trend. For instance, the average American female model is 5'11" tall and weighs 117 pounds whereas the average American woman is 5'4" tall and weighs 140 pounds. As fashion models represent less than 3% of the population that their stature is nearly impossible to achieve for more than 97% of the population. However, these impossible beauty standards are often presented as the desired and "right" way to look. The same goes for men. Overall, the more that people are bombarded with these messages and the more they find themselves lacking, then there is more likely to be body image dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, the diet and weight loss industry is heavily invested in playing into that dissatisfaction. Advertisements for diet and weight loss programs, pills, foods, and usually useless (and sometimes dangerous) quick fixes feed into your insecurities and anxieties, grabbing your attention and influencing your choice to buy their product. With $40 billion a year going into this industry, is it any wonder, then, that 45% of women and 25% of men are on a diet on any given day?
A person's family is also an important influence on body image. Family members communicate a number of messages that are internalized and adapted to a person's beliefs about himself or herself. Families influence attitudes about food, a person's body, and health issues. Parents and siblings, as well as other relatives, model their beliefs about weight and self-acceptance. Thus, if someone is called negative appearance-based names, is pressured to be thin, or is criticized about weight, he or she is more likely to adopt those attitudes and to incorporate them into his or her body image. Additionally, families model specific behaviors from which a person learns. By watching how families eat, exercise, perceive others, and take care of themselves, we receive very specific messages about what must be the "right" way of being.
Peers have another big influence on body image. Being bullied or teased about appearance issues will often have strong contributions to the development of a negative body image. Competitive settings-such as on sports teams or in a sorority-will also often influence the direct and indirect messages that are communicated by peers. Especially in these settings, there tends to be a "thinness subculture" that sets a specific tone for how a person can best fit in. And, in general, a people tend to compare themselves to others to gauge how they are doing in a variety of ways. When they compare their appearance to that of their peers and are critical of the differences they see, there tends to be a much stronger inclination towards body dissatisfaction.
Other factors that affect body image include a wide variety of lifestyle issues. Activity level affects a person's energy level and connection with the body as well as the level of ability we have to appreciate our bodies' functions over form. Food choices also have an impact including whether or not nutrition is balanced and whether there is emotional reasons behind those food choices. Of course, a person's body type-based on genetics-sets specific limits on a person's body with regards to weight, height, fat content, muscle content, shape, and metabolism. Other issues such as age, illness or injury, economics, work and/or school schedule, pregnancy, geographic location, amount of travel done, and daily stressors also play a role in body image.
So, if a people are plagued by negative messages and if they cannot control what they learned when they were growing up, can they really expect to have a chance at changing how they view their bodies? The answer is, simply, yes, though the solutions are less simple. It is true that people often do not have a choice in the messages that others give to them about appearance issues. But, they do have a choice in whether or not they buy into those messages. No matter how long those messages have been accepted as truth, it is still possible to pay close attention to those messages, to recognize the inaccuracy and harmfulness of those messages, and to make a conscious choice about whether or not those messages promote a positive body image. When people choose to incorporate new and healthier messages into how they see themselves, they gain much greater control over how they feel about themselves. Consider the following options to help improve body image.
