WHAT INFLUENCES BODY IMAGE AND HOW TO LEARN TO LOVE YOUR BODY
According the The Mental Health Foundation one in five adults (20%) felt shame, just over one third (34%) felt down or low, and 19% felt disgusted because of their image in 2019. Just over one third of adults said they had never felt anxious (34%) or depressed (35%) because of their body image. Higher body dissatisfaction is associated with a poorer quality of life, psychological distress and the risk of unhealthy eating disorders. Whereas body satisfaction and appreciation has been linked to better overall well-being and fewer unhealthy dieting behaviours. We ALL deserve to be happy and love or at the very least accept our bodies just as they are!
In this blog post I talk about some of the big issues around body image, body positivity and body acceptance, discussing the ways societal attitudes stand in the way of so many women (and men) accepting their bodies just as they are. I also share my top tips on ways you can build a kinder, more positive relationship with your body.
THE MYTH OF THE ‘PERFECT BODY’
Body image is how we perceive our body and how we rate it against social beauty standards. How closely our body matches the ‘perfect’ body is a preoccupation of a lot of people, particularly women, because we have been taught that this is an important measure of our success in life. We are shown images of the idealised body every day of our lives and it is slim, white, young and without disability. We complement each other when we have lost weight and equate being large with being unsuccessful, lazy and greedy. Having the perfect body is the ultimate achievement in our diet-obsessed culture and we accept this without question because it is all we know.
BODY IMAGE & ABLEISM
Body image issues go beyond this issue of size of course and include our fear around other differences such as disability. Even in subtle ways we can promote ableist ideas like when we call a disabled person brave for just living their life, what exactly are we saying? That to even exist in the world with a different body takes courage. It is a subtle but insidious reminder that unless we have the body ideal, we should feel some inherent shame about our existence.
I see the same with stories you see online listing the achievements of those with disabilities which are framed as ‘overcoming the odds’- whilst these are full of praise and are intended to be positive, they send a subtle message that disabled people need to prove their worth because of their body, that they cannot just be ordinary. Everyone has the right to be average, no matter their race, size or how their body functions, and still be worthy of respect, love and acceptance.
YOUR HEALTH IS NOT A MEASURE OF WORTH
The notion that health is a measure of worth complicates body image issues further. Recently Jillian Michaels made some comments about Lizzo getting diabetes (this is known as ‘concern-trolling’ when someone is body-shamed under the guise of caring about their health). Lots of her fans came to her defense saying things like ‘Lizzo dances for three hours straight every night, she is probably healthier than Jillian’ and so on. Again, whilst these comments were intended to be positive, they still sent the message that Lizzo, having a large body, is only acceptable because she is also healthy. What if Lizzo couldn’t dance? What if she did have diabetes? Would that mean she would have less of a right to take up space and be in the public eye? No! Health and worth are completely separate and whist I am absolutely in favour of doing what you can to improve your health, if your self-esteem is tied up with your health status you will likely run into body image issues at some point in your life.
IS YOUR NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE AN OUTLET FOR A DEEPER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE?
Obsessing about our body can also be a way distracting ourselves from deeper issues. We are told that we can control the way our bodies look and we make that our life’s work. We tell ourselves that if we were slimmer OR more toned we would be happier, have more friends, be more attractive to our partner, be more successful at work and generally be more worthy of existing. So rather than addressing mental health issues, relationship problems or other challenging topics, we simply go on another diet.
Improving our body image can literally change our lives, I am not exaggerating. How many hours a day, week, month do you spend dieting? Or planning to diet? Forcing yourself to do exercises you don’t enjoy? How much money do you spend on products to make you look thinner, younger, healthier? What could you achieve with this time and money? What goals would you have if achieving the ‘perfect’ body wasn’t on the list? What relationships could you form with other women if we forgot about the being in competition with each other? I have seen so many people flourish after healing their relationship with their body and go on to do amazing things. You can’t conquer the world on an empty stomach after all.
HOW DO I HELP PEOPLE WITH THEIR BODY IMAGE AS A HEALTH PSYCHOLOGIST?
I work with people who have issues with eating- people who yo-yo diet, emotionally eat, binge eat, feel guilty around food and restrict certain foods or food groups. Most people I see have got to the place they are at because of dieting and chasing society’s beauty ideals. We work together to unlearn all the nonsense diet culture has taught them whilst bringing them to a place where they respect their body even if they can’t love it now. I use a lot of Intuitive Eating techniques that were created by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole.
We also work together to redefine health and self-care so that they are not centered around size and physical appearance. I use a biopsychosocial approach to health so look at ways of improving physical health, mental health and social aspects such as quality of relationships and support. Sometimes deeper issues emerge when you are working on these issues which need the attention of a therapist specialising in areas such as trauma.
Tips for improving body image:
Fill your social media up with diverse bodies.
Follow fat activists, people of colour, trans and disabled folk. It is normal for you to feel negatively towards different bodies because that is what you have been taught. The more you see diverse bodies the more you will see their beauty and celebrate the differences.Similarly, purge your social media of anyone who makes you feel bad about your body. This includes the #fitspo and #bodygoals brigade. A lot of people promoting diets liter Educate yourself on the issues: Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon, Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield, Just Eat It by Laura Thomas, Fat is a feminist Issue by Susie Orbach and Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings are great books to start with.
Make a list of all your positive attributes that are not related to your body
Pull it out when you are having a bad body day. Are you kind, funny, empathetic, hardworking, a good mum, a loving partner? Your body is just your outer layer, what is inside?Get therapy.
Some body image issues are the result of more than diet culture- they can have their roots in trauma that need to be addressed by a professional.Think about all the ways your body serves you that are not related to its appearance. Your arms may allow you to hug your children. Your mouth may allow you to smile at your friends. Your bum may provide a comfy place to sit.
If you’d like to chat or read more advice from me, head on over to my socials - you can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter or get in touch with me via email. I am also available for talks, workshops and training’s around HAES, body image, disordered eating and intuitive eating for industry professionals and the general public.
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Dr. Sophie Edwards
I am a Chartered Health Psychologist, Educator, HAES Campaigner and an Intuitive Eating Counsellor in training. I have been practicing for over 8 years within the NHS and am passionate about assisting people on their journey to a healthy relationship with food, fitness and their bodies. I have a special interest in disordered and intuitive eating and I am a dedicated campaigner around HAES. My dream is to make health psychology more accessible to people from all walks of life.