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Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. It encompasses:
What you believe about your own appearance (including your memories, assumptions, and generalizations).
How you feel about your body, including your height, shape, and weight.
How you sense and control your body as you move. How you physically experience or feel in your body.
People of all genders and all ages
People of all genders and all ages
compare themselves with others and this can make them worry about the way they look.
We are fed messages
We are fed messages
from social media, images on TV, movies, and advertisements that tell us what the 'perfect body' is supposed to look like. These images are often photoshopped, filtered or taken on special angles and the people in the images don't really look like this in real life.
(Western Australia Department of Health, 2020)
While people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) experience body image concerns in ways that may be similar to people who identify as heterosexual, their experience and relationship with their body is likely to differ in specific ways.
How can I improve my body image?
How can I improve my body image?
Consider everything your body does for you. Thank the different parts of your body. Do your arms let you hold the people you love? Do your legs take you on walks to beautiful places? Do your hands help you express yourself? Write your body a letter of gratitude for the ways it has served you throughout your life.
Overcoming Poor Body Image
Overcoming Poor Body Image
In the midst of body image angst, people tend to forget about the body's important utility, and it does so much for us, too--our bodies get us from point A to point B, for example. Yet many people remain mired in a world where physical looks take primacy. To put body image back into perspective, experts suggest that you curb the use of social media, platforms where visitors are constantly reminded of the outsize value placed on looks and image are ill-advised. And if snapping a selfie makes you feel worse, then avoid it. No one deserves to go through life hating the place where they live – their body. Body image should not hinge on whether a person looks like a runway model. It's possible for a person to have a better view of their body no matter what it looks like.
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