What is Body Image? It’s More Than Skin Deep
Understanding the ins and out of body image - it’s more than just how you look.
What is Body Image?
Body image is like that tricky mirror at the funhouse—sometimes it’s spot on, and other times, it’s downright ridiculous. It’s the complex perception we have of our bodies shaped by our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes. Think of it as the brain's way of saying, "Hey, this is how we feel about our body today!" It’s less about our shape, size, weight, features, skin tone, and how our bodies function, and more about what we’ve learnt through culture to feel about those things. And, of course, it's heavily influenced by our memories, experiences, assumptions, and those not-so-helpful comparisons to others.
The Formation of Body Image
Newsflash: body image is learned! Babies aren't born hating their thighs. They’re too busy discovering their toes. Somewhere along the line, external influences teach us to judge ourselves. So, what shapes our body image? Here are the key players:
Feelings: Body image is fundamentally a feeling state—a subjective experience. Feelings about our bodies are in a constant state of change. Despite this, we often treat these feelings as immutable facts, allowing them to dictate our behavior. For instance, how can you love your body in a dress one day, and then the next day, hate your body in the same dress? These are feelings that can be reshaped.
Experiences and Memories: Our first experiences or memories related to body perception, whether positive or negative, significantly shape our body image. Early memories of teasing or compliments about our appearance teach us how to feel and think about our bodies.
Learned Behavior: Body image is influenced by the people around us—parents, siblings, friends, teachers—and societal norms propagated by media, advertising, and entertainment. These external influences teach us what is considered desirable or undesirable about our bodies.
The Impact of Body Image
Our body image profoundly affects our lives. Women with negative body image often report lower confidence in professional and social settings, plus in the bedroom! Poor body image can lead to avoiding events or canceling plans. In fact, a 2016 study revealed that 9 out of 10 women have opted out of important life activities due to poor body image! Women are literally holding themselves back from living their best and biggest lives, because of how they are perceiving their body. Ask yourself, is this something you want to keep impacting you?
Changing Your Body Image
Understanding that body image is a learned behavior implies that it can be unlearned or reshaped. By actively questioning and challenging negative feelings about our bodies, we can develop a healthier relationship with ourselves. This transformation is crucial because a positive body image can enhance our engagement with life and improve our overall well-being.
For me, I had a moment in 2018 where I decided enough was enough. I didn’t want the feelings about my body to dictate my mood and happiness in life so I started to slowly disconnect from body ideals and the notion that my appearance was more important than who I was. I removed myself from conversations regarding weight and appearance, stopped commenting on others peoples weight loss and started questioning any negative thoughts I had towards my body. It wasn’t that the negative thoughts simply disappeared, but that I was active in noticing those thoughts and choosing not to play into them.
Reflection and Action
Consider your feelings about your body. Track them, question them, and recognise they are not facts and you can choose to ignore ones that don’t serve you. Reflect on the experiences and influences that have shaped your body image and start to question whether they’ve been helpful or unhelpful and slowly start to disconnect from the experiences and memories that are holding you back and no longer serving you. By understanding these elements, you can start the journey towards a more positive and empowering perception of your body.
I want you to know that you are worth more than your body and for you to actually believe it too.
