Your body image is what you think and how you feel when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. This includes how you feel about your appearance; what you think about your body itself, such as your height and weight, and how you feel within your own skin. Body image also includes how you behave as a result of your thoughts and feelings. You may have a positive or negative body image. Body image is not always related to your weight or size.

Women with a positive body image are more likely to have good physical and mental health. Girls and women with negative thoughts and feelings about their bodies are more likely to develop certain mental health conditions, such as eating disorders and depression. Researchers think that dissatisfaction with their bodies may be part of the reason more women than men have depression. A negative body image may also lead to low self-esteem, which can affect many areas of your life. You may not want to be around other people or may obsess constantly about what you eat or how much you exercise.

Girls are more likely than boys to have a negative body image. This may be because many women feel pressured to measure up to a strict and unrealistic social ideal, which can lead to a negative body image. However, beauty ideals change over time, and it can be difficult to correctly measure a complicated idea like body image among women from different backgrounds. Children of parents who diet or who have a negative body image are also more likely to develop unhealthy thoughts about their own bodies.

Girls and women hear and see messages about how they look from the moment they are born, throughout much of their childhood, and into adulthood. Young girls and teens are more likely to be praised for how they look than for their thoughts or actions. The media focuses on showing women who are thin, attractive, and young. Images of these women are often edited using computer technology. As a result, girls and young women often try to reach beauty and body ideals that do not exist in the real world.

Past events and circumstances can also cause you to have a negative body image, including being teased or bullied as a child for how you looked. Being told you are ugly, too fat, or too thin or having other aspects of your appearance criticized.

Women who have obesity problems are more likely to have a negative body image, but not all women who are overweight are dissatisfied with their bodies. Women with a healthy weight can also have a negative body image. Weight is not the only part of a person's body that determines body image. Self-esteem, past history, daily habits such as grooming, and the particular shape of your body all contribute to body image. Weight is an important part of body image, but it is not the only part.

Research shows that if you are overweight, your body image may improve if you participate in a weight loss program that focuses on healthy eating and physical activity, rather than dieting. If you are underweight and have a negative body image, you can work with a doctor or nurse to gain weight in a healthy way and treat any other health problems you have. If you are eating healthy and getting enough exercise, your weight may matter less in your body image.

The more you practice thinking positive thoughts about yourself and the fewer negative thoughts you have about your body, the better you will feel about who you are and how you look. While very few people are 100% positive about every aspect of their body, it can help to focus on the things you do like. Also, most people realise as they get older that how you look is only one part of who you are. Working on accepting how you look is healthier than constantly working to change how you look.

Your body image plays a role in how your children see themselves. Studies show that daughters are twice as likely to have ideas about dieting when their mothers’ diet. If you want to lose weight to get healthy, pay attention to the language that you use. Rather than talking about “dieting,” explain that you are eating healthy foods. Together with your family, cook healthy meals, order healthy meals at restaurants, and get more physical activity. Teach your children about smart food choices and help them develop healthy eating and exercise habits.

You can help your children develop healthy body images by: 

• Making sure your children understand that weight gain and growth are normal parts of development, especially during puberty.

• Not making negative statements about food, weight, and body size and shape — yours, your children's, or anyone else's.

• Allowing your children to make decisions about food while making sure that plenty of healthy and nutritious meals and snacks are available. 

• Complimenting your children more on their efforts, talents, accomplishments, and personal values and less on their looks.

• Limiting screen time. In addition to getting less exercise, children who watch TV shows or movies or play online games often see unrealistic female bodies.

• Encouraging your children's school to create policies against bullying. 

• Talking to your children often and showing them that you're always there to listen.

You may be teaching your children harmful habits if you often complain about your weight or your body shape.

For the Journal:

What do you think the most important aspects of a person are? For example:

Is it their personality? Sense of humour? kindness? Their personal fashion style? Is it really their body?

Am I attributing unrealistic judgements about myself without taking into consideration the other aspects of me that I do like? What aspects of my body do I like?