Body Image: More Than Being Fit For Others
DISCLAIMER: This article has a psychological focus and will thus include citations from various published journals of psychology and various websites that offer knowledge and statistics about the topic.
How many times did you look at yourself in the mirror before leaving the house today? How many times did you fix your hair, or change your outfit to look just right? How many times have you bailed out of plans because of a terrible zit?
“Body image” is how we perceive our bodies. It is our emotional attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of our own body. It can either be positive or negative. A positive body image means being able to be happy and comfortable with your body. A negative body image involves having real or imagined flaws in the body which leads to distress and can also affect everyday functioning. “Body image” as an issue isn’t new, to researchers or even laymen. Many have fallen prey to having a negative body image and ample amount of research has been done to dig deeper into this subject.
With the clout that media has achieved today in various forms, the strive for a “perfect” body is increasing day by day. The “plastic Barbies” from Instagram have shook the self-esteem of millions of girls and the fact that they are a useful commodity in every industry tells these girls that without achieving a tiny waist and wide hips, they’ll never be adored or looked up to. Increasingly enough, even men are falling prey to such a negative body image and it has made them self-conscious. Men that are regularly exposed to unrealistic images in the media also experience a poor body image.
Right from the formative years, children are exposed to cartoons that seem puerile and seen as a good way of passing time, and it’s easy to forget the long-term impact they have on the cognitive and social development of these children. For example, from a tender age of playing with G.I. Joe figures, men may find their body image suffering; a G.I. Joe toy, if remodelled into human size, would be taller and have bigger biceps than any average man. This gives boys an unrealistic ideal to live up to. We have all watched He-Man and the Masters of the Universe which features Prince Adam who turns into a superhero saving the fictional planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor. He charmed my tiny 10 year-old self with his sword and, lean body and muscles that seemed as if they were about to sunder from too much steroids. The fact this portrays to men is that women want men to have such a body. This starts the vicious, self-sustaining loop of low self-esteem and poor body image. It becomes easy for us to compare ourselves to someone who has the physical characteristics we want. Thus, it not only affects how we see ourselves, it also affects our social life and behaviour.
Women are seen as beautiful and happy when they have thin thighs and shiny hair, seen very prominently in beauty models. As much as they seem to have a glorious life of travelling, and receiving branded freebies, they too succumb to insecurity. Not many talk about their life outside modelling, about who they are without wearing Victoria’s Secret and dousing in Gucci eaux de cologne. Cameron Russell, a model, in her TED talk Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model. says, “We say, “it’s really amazing to travel, it’s amazing to get to work with creative, inspired, passionate people.” And those things are true, but they’re only one half of the story because the thing we never say on camera, that I have never said on camera, is, “I am insecure.” And I’m insecure because I have to think about what I look like every day. And if you ever are wondering “If I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier?” You just need to meet a group of models, because they have the thinnest thighs, the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes, and they’re the most physically insecure women probably on the planet.”
Much research has been done on adolescent and young adult population, but very few on midlife adults (30-60 years of age) regarding their perception of their body image. It is an age when certain biological, psychological, and social changes occur that can challenge body image. In a research done by Sarah McGuinness and Joanne E. Taylor, Understanding Body Image Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in Midlife Adults, published in New Zealand Journal of Psychology (2016), they found some degree of body image concern in the present sample, although greater for women than men. A small number of participants (16% of women and 6% of men) were found to have an EAT-26 score that was at or above 20, indicating potentially problematic eating disturbances. Thus, it’s not just adolescents, but midlife adults too, who experience body insecurities and low self-esteem because of influence from cultural norms, preference for a specific body type, attitude towards weight gain, etc.
It is not unheard-of that body image concerns and eating disorders go hand in hand. It is the person’s appearance that leads them to think that losing weight would enhance their appearance, and make them feel better about themselves and their bodies. Thus, restrictive eating and/or over-exercising, leads to disordered eating and weight obsession that can develop into bulimia, orthorexia, anorexia, binge eating disorder or compulsive overeating. Additionally, working out and toning bodies is not about feeling good or increasing stamina anymore, it has become more about showing people the flat stomach, or six-pack abs, or toned buttocks. So our motivation to change into fit individuals has become extrinsic, rather than intrinsic. Not being able to achieve the above mentioned characteristics can lead to eating disorders, depression and anxiety.
So what can help? There are a few interesting practices that can be incorporated to alleviate the thoughts of a negative body image:
Concluding the article, I would like to urge you to spend five minutes every morning thinking about your positive attributes, what makes people approach you, and how to improve yourself into becoming fit for life rather than fit for social media and/or others.
CITATIONS:
How many times did you look at yourself in the mirror before leaving the house today? How many times did you fix your hair, or change your outfit to look just right? How many times have you bailed out of plans because of a terrible zit?
“Body image” is how we perceive our bodies. It is our emotional attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions of our own body. It can either be positive or negative. A positive body image means being able to be happy and comfortable with your body. A negative body image involves having real or imagined flaws in the body which leads to distress and can also affect everyday functioning. “Body image” as an issue isn’t new, to researchers or even laymen. Many have fallen prey to having a negative body image and ample amount of research has been done to dig deeper into this subject.
With the clout that media has achieved today in various forms, the strive for a “perfect” body is increasing day by day. The “plastic Barbies” from Instagram have shook the self-esteem of millions of girls and the fact that they are a useful commodity in every industry tells these girls that without achieving a tiny waist and wide hips, they’ll never be adored or looked up to. Increasingly enough, even men are falling prey to such a negative body image and it has made them self-conscious. Men that are regularly exposed to unrealistic images in the media also experience a poor body image.
Right from the formative years, children are exposed to cartoons that seem puerile and seen as a good way of passing time, and it’s easy to forget the long-term impact they have on the cognitive and social development of these children. For example, from a tender age of playing with G.I. Joe figures, men may find their body image suffering; a G.I. Joe toy, if remodelled into human size, would be taller and have bigger biceps than any average man. This gives boys an unrealistic ideal to live up to. We have all watched He-Man and the Masters of the Universe which features Prince Adam who turns into a superhero saving the fictional planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor. He charmed my tiny 10 year-old self with his sword and, lean body and muscles that seemed as if they were about to sunder from too much steroids. The fact this portrays to men is that women want men to have such a body. This starts the vicious, self-sustaining loop of low self-esteem and poor body image. It becomes easy for us to compare ourselves to someone who has the physical characteristics we want. Thus, it not only affects how we see ourselves, it also affects our social life and behaviour.
Women are seen as beautiful and happy when they have thin thighs and shiny hair, seen very prominently in beauty models. As much as they seem to have a glorious life of travelling, and receiving branded freebies, they too succumb to insecurity. Not many talk about their life outside modelling, about who they are without wearing Victoria’s Secret and dousing in Gucci eaux de cologne. Cameron Russell, a model, in her TED talk Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model. says, “We say, “it’s really amazing to travel, it’s amazing to get to work with creative, inspired, passionate people.” And those things are true, but they’re only one half of the story because the thing we never say on camera, that I have never said on camera, is, “I am insecure.” And I’m insecure because I have to think about what I look like every day. And if you ever are wondering “If I have thinner thighs and shinier hair, will I be happier?” You just need to meet a group of models, because they have the thinnest thighs, the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes, and they’re the most physically insecure women probably on the planet.”
Much research has been done on adolescent and young adult population, but very few on midlife adults (30-60 years of age) regarding their perception of their body image. It is an age when certain biological, psychological, and social changes occur that can challenge body image. In a research done by Sarah McGuinness and Joanne E. Taylor, Understanding Body Image Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in Midlife Adults, published in New Zealand Journal of Psychology (2016), they found some degree of body image concern in the present sample, although greater for women than men. A small number of participants (16% of women and 6% of men) were found to have an EAT-26 score that was at or above 20, indicating potentially problematic eating disturbances. Thus, it’s not just adolescents, but midlife adults too, who experience body insecurities and low self-esteem because of influence from cultural norms, preference for a specific body type, attitude towards weight gain, etc.
It is not unheard-of that body image concerns and eating disorders go hand in hand. It is the person’s appearance that leads them to think that losing weight would enhance their appearance, and make them feel better about themselves and their bodies. Thus, restrictive eating and/or over-exercising, leads to disordered eating and weight obsession that can develop into bulimia, orthorexia, anorexia, binge eating disorder or compulsive overeating. Additionally, working out and toning bodies is not about feeling good or increasing stamina anymore, it has become more about showing people the flat stomach, or six-pack abs, or toned buttocks. So our motivation to change into fit individuals has become extrinsic, rather than intrinsic. Not being able to achieve the above mentioned characteristics can lead to eating disorders, depression and anxiety.
So what can help? There are a few interesting practices that can be incorporated to alleviate the thoughts of a negative body image:
- Since the problem isn’t going away by itself, a very critical step is to seek a therapist. It’s the primary and vital step to help oneself. If concerned about financial issues, there are thousands of private websites that offer free consultations. There are plenty of government hospitals and clinics set up too, the only thing you have to do is to look for one that’s close by. If not, many organizations offer phone call and video call services for free or a nominal fee.
- Ban fat talk. The fact that parents burden their children from a young age to not eat as much as they want to or to eat only certain kinds of food otherwise they’ll get a fat stomach or flabby arms and legs, has serious psychological consequences for them. This gets rolled over into adulthood when peers talk about having too much cellulite, or flabby skin that has affected their everyday functioning. So someone who did not give too much importance to noticing cellulite, or flabby skin starts noticing such details and realises they’re not good for him/her.
- Interventions. A study conducted by Jennifer A. O’Dea and Suzanne Abraham, Improving the body image, eating attitudes, and behaviors of young male and female adolescents: A new educational approach that focuses on self‐esteem (2000), examines the effect of an interactive, school‐based, self‐esteem education program on the body image and eating attitudes and behaviours of young male and female adolescents following the program and after 12 months. All 470 eligible students (63% female) aged 11–14 years volunteered to participate. The intervention group students participated in the program, whereas the control group students received their scheduled personal development and health class. The program significantly improved the body satisfaction of the intervention students and significantly changed aspects of their self‐esteem; social acceptance, physical appearance, and athletic ability became less important for the intervention students and more important for control students. One year after the intervention, body image and attitude changes were still present. These students also had significantly lower drive for thinness and greater body satisfaction following the intervention and the decreased importance of physical appearance to their self‐esteem was present at 12 months. The intervention program was effective, safe, having no effect on measures of students' anxiety or depression, and was rated highly by students. This is the first controlled educational intervention to successfully improve body image and to produce long‐term changes in the attitudes and self‐image of young adolescents. This new approach to prevent the development of eating disorders by improving self‐esteem may be effective, particularly if reinforced by teachers and family.
Concluding the article, I would like to urge you to spend five minutes every morning thinking about your positive attributes, what makes people approach you, and how to improve yourself into becoming fit for life rather than fit for social media and/or others.
CITATIONS:
- Pai, S., & Schryver, K. (n.d.). Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image - A Common Sense Media Research Brief (Rep.). Retrieved February 14, 2019, from Common Sense Media website: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/children-teens-media-and-body-image
- McGuinness, S., & Taylor, J. E. (April, 2016). Understanding Body Image Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in Midlife Adults. New Zealand Journal of Psychology,45(1), 7. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from https://www.psychology.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/Body-Image-.pdf
- O’Dea, J. A. and Abraham, S. (2000), Improving the body image, eating attitudes, and behaviors of young male and female adolescents: A new educational approach that focuses on self‐esteem. Int. J. Eat. Disord., 28: 43-57. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(200007)28:1<43::aid-eat6>3.0.CO;2-D
Something much needed for the people right now. Nicely put article backed by references.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rishik. You're much appreciated.
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