what is body image essay

All About Body Image: How Psychologists Define It and How It Affects Health and Well-Being

How do you feel about your body? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see imperfections? Do you see strength? Do you feel appreciation? Do you feel shame? Do you feel frustration? Do you feel capable?

That internal chatter and the tone you use when thinking or talking about your appearance (the positive and the negative) is all part of your body image.

What is body image exactly? Read on to learn what it means to have a positive or negative body image, how body image affects your mental and physical health, and what you can do to improve your body image. 

The Definition of Body Image, According to Psychologists

“Body image is the way we view ourselves physically — the way we internally and externally talk about ourselves based on how we look, the reflection we see in the mirror,” says Jessica Cortez, RD , a dietitian with Connections Wellness Group in Denton, Texas, who specializes in eating disorders and body image.

She adds: “Are we neutral, kind, or mean to ourselves? Do we find ourselves being critical or neutral about the observations we make about our body and appearance? Do we find ourselves making strong judgments about our body that leave us feeling unworthy, less than, or undeserving?” How we answer those questions is all part of our body image.

RELATED:  Speaking Body Image: A Glossary of Terms We Use to Describe How We See Our Bodies

How Is ‘Body Positivity’ Related to Body Image?

It was originally an effort started by fat activists to center and liberate marginalized bodies from oppressive forces such as fat phobia, racism, and ableism, says Samantha DeCaro, PsyD , the director of clinical outreach and education with the Renfrew Center in Philadelphia, a residential eating disorder treatment facility. “The movement was designed to challenge the conventional definitions of health and beauty.”

How Is ‘Body Neutrality’ Related to Body Image?

Body neutrality is a different concept. “It encourages taking a neutral approach to our bodies,” Dr. DeCaro says. “The term reminds us that we do not have to love our body to respect it, to nourish it, listen to its cues, or to have gratitude for what it can do.”

Embracing body neutrality rather than body positivity may be a more achievable goal for people with body image issues and those struggling with eating disorders. “It creates the space to cultivate an authentic identity that focuses less on the physical self and more on our core values,” DeCaro says.

RELATED: What’s the Difference Between Body Positivity and Body Neutrality?

Common Questions & Answers

What causes someone to have a positive body image.

The foundation for a positive or negative body image starts early.

“Young kids and adolescents are very impressionable,” says Paakhi Srivastava, PhD , an assistant research professor at the Center for Weight, Eating, and Lifestyle Science (WELL Clinic) at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Their body image is shaped by what they consume in traditional media and on social media, as well as via the messages they receive regarding body and appearance from adults, Dr. Srivastava says. If these messages are positive, chances are greater that the young person will establish a positive body image.

A positive body image means you feel good in your skin, regardless of whether your body meets the definition of what those around you would consider the ideal shape. “It’s a feeling of satisfaction about one’s body irrespective of the societal ideal being forced at any given time,” says Jennifer Kelman, LCSW , a therapist in private practice in Boca Raton, Florida, who specializes in eating disorders and body image.

For example, consider how you would feel if you tried on shorts from last year and they fit more snuggly than you remember. “A body positive way to respond would be: ‘Wow, I guess I grew this past year, but that’s okay. Bodies are made to change and adapt. I’ll find some different shorts instead so I can enjoy the summer and feel comfortable,’” Cortez says.

What Causes Someone to Have a Negative Body Image?

A negative body image is the opposite of a positive one; it’s feeling bad or beating yourself up for the way you look. “A negative body image can mean being highly critical of yourself physically and being judgmental about yourself to the point that you start to believe an internal dialogue, which in turn impacts the way you view your worth and value as a person,” Cortez says.

Consider the scenario where you’re trying on that pair of shorts from last year that no longer fit. Someone with a negative body image might react to that situation by thinking that they’re a failure for gaining weight or for not being as lean as they were in the past, Cortez says.

But no matter how negative body image issues began, they can certainly outlast someone’s teenage years. “I think it can be an issue across the life span — teens grow up to be adults who continue to have issues with body image,” says Jennifer Engler, PhD , a professor and the psychology chair at York College of Pennsylvania, who researches adolescent identity development. Adults can also develop a negative body image, especially if they’re prone to comparing themselves with others and feel pressure to meet socially prescribed beauty standards, she says.

RELATED: Men Can Struggle With Body Image, Too

How Body Image Bears on Health and Well-Being

A negative body image can affect both physical and mental health.

How Body Image Affects Physical Health

“One of the most significant mental and medical issues that comes along with having a negative body image is the connection to the risk of developing an eating disorder ,” Dr. Engler says.

A negative body image can influence other behaviors as well. “You can see people who have negative body image engaging in other types of behaviors and activities to try to fix what they perceive to be problematic,” Engler says. “So maybe smoking or substance abuse to manage weight, or excessive exercise, which can lead to health issues down the road.”

How Body Image Affects Mental Health

Engler says there are some connections between depression and bulimia nervosa, as well as between anxiety and anorexia.

How and Why Social Media Use Affects Body Image

Today, social media is a factor that can have a big effect on someone’s body image.

For many people, social media shapes what defines beauty and attractiveness. And there are countless examples of people using social media to define themselves as individuals, Srivastava says. “It’s placing more importance on the body and almost objectifying it.”

Social media can lead people to judge themselves harshly, if their bodies don’t resemble what they see online. “Being bombarded by images on social media can have a negative impact on body image, because in real life nobody will ever live up to the photoshopped or perfectly curated ideal they see in their Instagram feeds,” Kelman says.

That said, the body image conversations on social media aren’t all negative. “Social media can serve as another mental health resource when used mindfully and consumed critically,” DeCaro says.

RELATED: How to Have a Healthy Body Image Before, During, and After You Lose Weight

Body Image and LGBTQ+ Communities

Members of LGBTQ+ communities may have unique experiences with body image.

“There are overarching body issues [for all groups], and for each little pocket of ‘L’ and ‘G’ and ‘B’ and ‘T,’ there can be very specific challenges as well,” says Paula Atkinson, LCSW , a Washington, DC–based psychotherapist who focuses on helping people with eating disorders. “I work with a lot of male-identifying gay men, and unfortunately fat phobia is rampant in that community,” she says.

Another example Atkinson gives is people with gender dysphoria, which is the psychological distress that results from the desire to be another gender. Body image issues in this case can be people feeling like they’re not as feminine or as masculine as they’d like to be.

Body Image and BIPOC Communities

People from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities may have their own body image struggles, including feeling stuck in between mainstream Western beauty standards that glorify thinness and other body types that are celebrated within their culture, says Tigress Osborn , the executive director of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

That can lead to some confusion. “BIPOC people are contending not only with mainstream body ideals but also with our cultures’ specific body and beauty ideals,” Osborn says. “Those ideals can be contradictory, leaving BIPOC people feeling left out of one or both standards.”

These body image issues can be exacerbated by the fact that people of color often don’t see people who look like them in the media, Osborn says.

Finally, body image problems facing people in BIPOC communities are sometimes brushed aside. “BIPOC people also face having our body image struggles belittled or dismissed by those who believe that our cultural backgrounds protect us from anti-fatness,” Osborn says.

“There is sometimes a narrative that worrying about body image, especially weight, is a white-people problem, one we either don’t have the luxury of worrying about because our communities have more urgent needs or one we simply don’t need to worry about because our communities are allegedly more accepting of larger bodies,” she says.

Body Image and People With Disabilities and Chronic Illness

“A person who is differently abled or has a chronic illness can experience even greater feelings of ‘my body has betrayed me,’ something those affected by diet culture and thin idealism already feel when their body doesn’t ‘behave as it should’ and get thin or stay thin,” Atkinson says, adding that she doesn’t speak for people who are differently abled or diagnosed with a chronic illness, but that these are sentiments reported to her through her work.

“A large part of finding freedom and sanity around [body image] issues is committing to rebuilding a relationship with one’s body, which requires trusting that it is doing the best it can,” Atkinson says. “When one is struggling with a disability or chronic illness, that trust can be harder to come by.”

How to Adopt a Healthier Body Image

• Notice your body’s strengths and abilities, rather than nitpicking your appearance.
• Write down five things you love about your personality and then five things you love about your body.
• Place positive affirmations around your home to remind yourself about your positive qualities.
• Avoid comparing yourself with others.
• Recognize and restructure cognitive distortions that reinforce negative body image.  For instance, be realistic about how others are viewing your physical appearance, rather than assuming others are criticizing you behind your back.
• Use positive self-talk, rather than negative self-talk. Tell yourself “I look happy,” not “I’m so fat.”
• Avoid triggers that set off negative thoughts. Try unfollowing social media accounts, for example, that cause you to feel worse about your body.

Another tip: Don’t expect to feel 100 percent great about your body 100 percent of the time. “It’s almost impossible to be sane around your body and food in this culture,” Atkinson says. Accept that you’re going to have uncomfortable moments, and don’t be mad at yourself when you do, Atkinson says.

It’s when these negative thoughts about your body interfere with daily functioning (for example, if you’re engaging in excessive dieting or exercise or avoiding social activities) that it may be time to consider seeking professional help from a mental health provider, Kelman says.

“Everyone has negative thoughts about how they look from time to time, but when these harmful behaviors are the response to those kinds of thoughts, it’s time for professional help to work through it,” she says.

If you are actively in crisis and need immediate support, call 911. You can also call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or text 741741 to reach a trained counselor with Crisis Text Line. These resources are available 24/7.

RELATED: 6 Ways to Have a Healthier Body Image

Support for Body Image

Favorite organizations.

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)

An estimated 28.2 million Americans will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. NEDA is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting those affected. It offers programs and services, including eating disorder screenings, treatment, support groups, and even a blog filled with helpful articles aimed at patients, parents, caregivers, and activists.

National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA)

People with larger bodies are often discriminated against. For over 50 years, the NAAFA has advocated for big-bodied people. This social justice organization provides virtual events, anti-racism resources, newsletters, research on fat bias in the media, and more.

The Body Positive

Founded in 1996, The Body Positive is a nonprofit organization that teaches people to replace body dissatisfaction with “positive embodiment” and critical thinking skills to address appearance-based dissatisfaction. This organization offers online training courses for middle schools, high schools, and colleges, therapists, and individuals interested in developing a healthier body image.

Favorite Books

The Body Is Not an Apology

The activist, award-winning artist, and thought leader on body liberation Sonya Renee Taylor outlines her vision for radical self-love in The Body Is Not an Apology . She writes that everyone is born in self-love, internalizing messages of self-hatred from systems of oppression as we age. Healing, Taylor argues, requires radical changes to the way we live and relate to our bodies.

The Art of Body Acceptance: Strengthen Your Relationship With Yourself Through Therapeutic Creative Exercises  

In The Art of Body Acceptance, the  registered art therapist Ashlee Bennett helps you counter the negative messages telling you you’re not enough. She offers creative exercises appropriate for people with no artistic background, helping you use art to develop a more compassionate connection with your body. 

Favorite Podcast

Eat the Rules

Hosted by the body image coach Summer Innanen, Eat the Rules covers various topics, including body positivity, self-esteem, intuitive eating, and eating disorder recovery. The podcast features interviews with experts and practical advice to help listeners foster a healthy body image.  

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

• Body Image. American Psychological Association.
• Body Image. National Eating Disorders Association.
• Robertson M et al. Exploring Changes in Body Image, Eating, and Exercise During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A UK Survey. Appetite . April 1, 2021.
• Stabler CM. Mind Over Matter: Defining Body Positivity. Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. September 1, 2021.
• NAAFA’s Origin Story and Fat Activism History. National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.
• Our Story. The Body Positive.
• Poirier A. 5 Steps to Body Neutrality. National Eating Disorders Association. October 28, 2021.
• Ulrich S et al. Promoting Healthy Body Image in Children, Teens. Mayo Clinic Health System. August 9, 2021.
• MacNeill LP et al. The Role of Personality in Body Image Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating: Discrepancies Between Men and Women. Journal of Eating Disorders . October 18, 2017.
• Memon AN et al. Have Our Attempts to Curb Obesity Done More Harm Than Good? Cureus . September 2020.
• Eating Disorders: About More Than Food. National Institute of Mental Health. 2021.
• Substance Use and Eating Disorders. National Eating Disorders Association.
• Co-occurring Diagnoses and Conditions. National Eating Disorders Association.
• Nayir T et al. Does Body Image Affect Quality of Life?: A Population-Based Study. PLoS One . September 20, 2016.
• Awad GH et al. Beauty and Body Image Concerns Among African American College Women. Journal of Black Psychology . December 2015.
• Disability Impacts All of Us. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2023.
• Disability and Body Image. Bradley University.
• 7 Tips for Building a Better Body Image as an Adult. Cleveland Clinic. May 7, 2019.
• Alleva JM et al. A Meta-Analytic Review of Stand-Alone Interventions to Improve Body Image. PLoS One . September 29, 2015.

Essays About Body Image: Top 5 Examples Plus Prompts

Essays about body image tackle delicate subjects like insecurities and mental illnesses; to effectively discuss it with tact, see our top essay examples.

The term “body image” refers to how you see and feel about your appearance. Although many support body positivity today and push for body acceptance, studies still show that 86% of women suffer from negative body image and want to lose weight . The inability to accept oneself results in low self-esteem, stress, and depression. Picking body image as your essay topic lets you join the discussion regarding this always-timely issue. Consider the examples listed below as inspiration for your essay:

1. Long Essay on Body Image by Prasanna

2. gender and body image essay by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 3. the negative body image presented by the media by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 4. social media and body image by anonymous on edubirdie.com, 5. negative body images essay by writer valeria, 1. aspects of body image, 2. body image: the good and the bad, 3. factors affecting teenager body image, 4. beauty pageants: pros and cons, 5. body image and mental health, 6. victoria’s secret models and body image, 7. men’s body image, 8. what is body shaming, 9. knowing what’s real: curating my body image, 10. my journey to self-love.

“People have forgotten the concept of inner beauty. A person should always think of themselves to be perfect in front of the mirror.”

Prasanna explains what body image means, including its consequences in the form of disorders. She delves into how a person’s perception of their physical appearance affects their lives and how it’s now a big problem in today’s society. The author believes cultivating a supportive environment dramatically improves one’s body image. In the end, she reminds the readers how God made everyone unique in their own right and to start having a positive attitude towards their bodies.

You might also be interested in these articles and essays about appearance .

“Online blogs, television, and films all provide examples of perfect female and male bodies. When real people compare themselves to these ideals, they experience dissatisfaction with their body that results in body image issues.”

The essay scrutinizes ideals that trigger someone’s body issues, often leading to physical and mental problems. For example, today’s ideal female body is fit, with low body fat and a slim waist. Meanwhile, men should be muscular with sharp facial features. Because these are the only acceptable “right” bodies, many go through unhealthy diets, take dubious pills, and engage in strenuous exercises. The writer supports the body positivity movement that demands diversity from mass media.

See how to write an essay about diversity if you want to write about it instead.

“The media also provide unrealistic body image that no human can meet without causing harm to themselves.”

Harmful diets, dangerous treatments, expensive surgeries – people do these and many more to achieve and maintain the perfect body presented in mass media. This “false advertising” even results in eating disorders and food-related diseases. The essay adds research findings and relevant cases to support the author’s distaste for mass media’s impact on individuals’ perceptions of themselves.

“… social networking can cause an individual to set a high expectation on themselves. The media encompasses a set thought of what is attractive and what is not attractive.”

While social media is a great platform to promote healthy living, the author brings up how it also presents unrealistic body standards. Although most are thanks to digital editing, photos depicting perfect body images of celebrities, models, and influencers on social media still affect individuals’ concept of how they should look. By constantly seeing these “perfect” photos online, people turn to doctoring their pictures and deluding themselves into thinking they look like something they aren’t. Sometimes, people even go under the knife to replicate their altered photos.

“Seeing overly skinny models in the media does not enhance women’s self-esteem, self-worth or self-image.”

In this essay, Valeria shares her review of the book Understanding Negative Body Image by Barbara Moe which focuses on the culture’s obsession with weight, shape, and body image. The writer includes her favorite part of the book, where flat chests are fashionable in Ms. America. She compares it to today, where bigger breasts and thinner bodies are preferred. Valeria believes the media needs to show more diverse and realistic body shapes to reduce negative body image.

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10 Helpful Writing Prompts On Essays About Body Image

Are the samples above effective in giving you inspiration for your essay? If you’re still thinking of what to write about, you can use the following prompts:

Identify and explain the four main aspects of body image: perceptual, affective, cognitive, and behavioral. Provide examples to make it easier for the readers to understand how they differ and contribute to a person’s overall body image. Add surveys or research findings to support your statements and increase your essay’s credibility.

You don’t create your body image with your eyes alone. Your feelings and thoughts about your body are also part of the equation. These are all the results of your experiences, whether they are positive or negative. For this prompt, share any encounters that affected how you look at your body. 

Youngsters in their puberty are the most affected by today’s body image pressures. First, discuss factors that significantly impact how teenagers value themselves. Then, share steps to help young people overcome these issues. You can also write down the causes and warning signs of a negative body image.

Write your opinion about the “beauty” standards in beauty pageants and whether you favor them or not. Talk about its benefits and drawbacks to children, adult participants, and anyone who consumes such media. To demonstrate the severity of these standards, present cases where a contestant’s appearance or body became the matter in question.

The pressures of attaining a perfect body take their toll on an individual’s quality of life. These taxing pressures, such as eating disorders, anxiety, and mood swings, spill over the person’s relations and even hinder everyday living. Therefore, incorporate the importance of maintaining a positive body image to achieve healthy psychological and physical well-being.

Victoria’s Secret, a brand known for its skinny models, hired its first-ever plus-size model in 2019 . Find out why the brand made this significant change and how its customers received it. Include your opinion about the brand’s decision. Add if you believe the company did what it did to start a more diverse line of clothing or because it succumbed to people’s demand of wanting to see more realistic bodies in media.

Although most body image essays are about women, men also cope with self-acceptance. Discuss common problems men have to deal with daily regarding their appearance. Integrate how men are described in books and movies and probe how these visuals can affect a man’s ego. To make your essay more compelling, you can also delve into why there are more rigid rules on beauty standards imposed on women versus men.

Explore what encompasses body shaming and add why people do it. Relay to your readers how it affects people with a history of depression, low self-esteem, trauma, and other mental illnesses. Through this prompt, your essay will help raise awareness against body shaming. You might also be interested in these articles about eating disorders .

One excellent way to improve body image is to tailor what you see, especially on social media. Then, remind yourself that these photos are altered and unnatural. For this essay, list steps that can help protect one’s self-image away from the fake “perfect” bodies flooding mass media. For example, add joining groups highlighting edits in photoshop pictures, etc.

Everyone has something they want to change regarding their appearance. Through this essay, share what you did to overcome the struggles of accepting yourself as you are. You can also recommend books that helped change your perspective.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

If you still need help, our guide to grammar and punctuation explains more.

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Body image: A better perspective

Many people think of body image as a women’s issue or a young person’s issue. in actuality, we all  have a perceived body image that affects so many aspects of our lives — including the opportunities we seek. .

What exactly is body image, and how can we cultivate a better, more healthy image so that we get the most out of life? To learn more, we talked to Dr. Kristine Luce , p sychologist and clinical associate professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. 

Your body image is defined by your personal perception. 

Dr. Luce defines body image as how a person thinks of, feels about and perceives their own body, and how a person imagines others perceive their body.

“Body image is an aspect of identity. Most people tend to self-identify by segmenting their lives into different roles. For example, a person may self-identify according to their profession, relationships, hobbies, etc. Body image is one aspect of a person’s complete identity, and within it a person can hold many perceptions, even contradicting perceptions.”

Although body image is commonly understood as having to do with weight and shape, the term actually encompasses all aspects of a person’s perceived physical appearance  — including age, facial attributes and gender. 

Body image exists on a continuum.

Dr. Luce views body image along a continuum, with “positive body image” on one end, “negative body image” on the other and the middle composed of varying aspects of both. 

Dr. Luce describes a positive body image as a healthy self-image, in which a person has self-compassion and appreciation for their body. They recognize the amazing functions of their body and don’t let how they feel about their appearance limit how they live their life. On the other end of the spectrum, a person with a negative body image tends to be strongly self-critical and less attuned to the beneficial capabilities and functions of their bodies. 

Most people, however, do not fall on one extreme or the other. The vast majority of people have varying degrees of appreciation and criticism for their bodies. Terms like “positive” and “negative” tend to be inadequate for fully capturing a person’s felt experience, which is generally more nuanced than binary. For example, when speaking about body image, a person may “fragment” and speak about parts of their bodies they like, and parts that they don’t like. Others might describe feeling positive about their bodies overall, but still want to change certain physical aspects.

A person’s body image is dynamic and ever changing throughout the lifespan. People tend to move along a continuum of how they perceive themselves at various stages of life, such as when they age or gain or lose weight.

Many factors contribute to a person’s body image.

Dr. Luce explains that we are constantly inundated with body image messages from many different sources, including history, economics, religion, family of origin and the media, which is the most prevalent.

Luce describes a series of studies conducted in Fiji before western TV was brought to the island. At that time there were no known cases of eating disorders in Fiji. The studies revealed that the first cases of eating and body image disorders emerged after western TV was brought to their culture, indicating that media presence was at least a contributing factor in how people perceived their bodies. 

“Culture has long influenced body image by defining and dictating what is attractive. The media is a strong force that can shape and influence culture, for better or for worse.” 

Other societal factors, including economic history and religion, can also contribute to one’s body image. Luce mentions that a higher body weight used to be a sign of fertility and wealth when resources were more scarce, but as resources have become more accessible, thinness or fitness is seen as a symbol of wealth because it indicates more time for self-care. For some religious groups, a thinner appearance could indicate a greater ability for fasting, which is associated with the virtue of self-control and used as a measure of spiritual virtue. 

Finally, an individual’s personal history and upbringing can influence the way they perceive themselves and their bodies. For example, if someone is raised in a household or social environment in which a person’s value is very closely tied to their physical appearance, a person may begin to perceive their bodies as a measure of their self-worth. 

With the constant onslaught of information we are receiving about how we think we should look, Dr. Luce assures us it is understandable if we feel pressure to look a certain way. 

Body image can impact the choices we make in our lives.

Put simply, overconcern about appearance can limit what opportunities a person seeks. Dr. Luce gives several examples of this phenomenon, termed “self-handicapping” in social psychology. Self-handicapping is a cognitive strategy in which people avoid an opportunity to protect their self-esteem against the possibility of failure. For example, if a person makes the assumption that they will be discriminated against because of their appearance, they may not go for a promotion. 

“Research on this subject shows that a strong enough limiting self-belief can restrict access and experiences throughout the lifespan. This is based on an assumption that may or may not be true.”

Other common examples of self-handicapping due to body image include postponing dating until reaching a particular appearance or avoiding visiting the doctor until reaching a desired weight. According to Luce, these are paradoxical approaches that rarely work, and often bring us further from our desired outcomes. 

“When you think about it, most people want to look a certain way for more access in life, whether it be jobs, partners, health or something else. By avoiding promotions, dating and doctor visits due to body image concerns, our access to our desired outcomes becomes more and more limited. On the other hand, people who feel positively in their bodies are more likely to seek out opportunities in all of these areas.”  

Negative body image persists throughout different demographic groups.

According to Luce, there used to be evidence that negative body image occurred more for women than for men, and more for white women than for other ethnic groups — but the gap has narrowed over time.

“In the last 20 to 30 years, there has been a proliferation of body image marketing to every ethnic group and gender. Now you can find body image advertising that targets everybody, thus increasing body image concerns and eating disorders across all types of people. I call it, ‘equal opportunity in the direction we were not hoping for.’”

Research conducted in the 1980s showed it was rare for people to feel positive in their bodies, which is a feeling that still persists, according to a 2018 poll .

There are many strategies for cultivating a more positive body image.

Dr. Luce encourages her patients to act according to their values rather than their negative self-beliefs. An example of this would be encouraging someone to go to the beach, if that is what they enjoy, even though they might also feel uncomfortable in a bathing suit. This is called a “cognitive dissonance intervention,” based on the theory that increasing the tension (or dissonance) between a person’s thoughts and actions will eventually create a new belief. Dissonance interventions are really about being aware of one’s values, living in alignment with them and not letting one’s beliefs limit opportunities in life. 

“Sometimes the discomfort gets better at first, and sometimes it takes a while. But feeling the warmth of the sun or the coolness of the water can make the volume of those negative thoughts turn down, or at least fade them into the background.”

Another intervention, applied on a more macro scale, is counter-attitudinal marketing, which features people of various body sizes, shapes and ethnicities in advertisements.

“I used to have a lot of optimism around counter-advertising and counter-marketing as a strategy for improving body image across culture. I still believe it can work for people who are open to it.” 

However, counter-attitudinal ads represent a very small percentage of mass media and social media images. The vast majority of media displays are not representative of the average body type: many are altered by image editing applications like Photoshop and filters, and some even represent an unhealthy body image. By understanding this fact, and being selective of our media exposure, we can begin to combat some of the negative effects of body image marketing.  Luce acknowledges this is not an easy feat:

“Negative body image beliefs are deeply entrenched for some people and changing these thoughts, for some, can be very challenging.” 

Luce goes on to describe how undoing a belief can be harder than building a new one, especially when we are exposed to so many media images and messages that are constantly reinforcing certain ideas. 

  Dr. Luce also encourages us to think about the way we speak about bodies and how this might affect body image for ourselves and our communities. 

“We can all refuse to engage in conversations about other people’s bodies. By choosing to not engage in appearance-based conversations, we can influence the world by modeling our values.”

A similar strategy is reconsidering our appearance-based decisions as a message to the world. Dr. Luce admits that she doesn’t color her hair because she doesn’t want to give into the pressures around ageism. However, she acknowledges this type of action can be challenging because ageism and appearance-based discrimination exists in many fields. 

“I am a psychologist in academia, so looking ‘old and wise’ is still valued. I recognize there are many people who feel they have to look a certain way to keep their jobs.”

Although we may not all be able to take such a strong action, everybody can do something to show the perception of feeling comfortable in the body they have. By choosing an alternative action that goes against societal pressures around body image, we can make changes that influence ourselves and the world around us.

Dr. Luce closes with a note of encouragement. “Body image is not static. Throughout life we move along a continuum of how we perceive ourselves. Regardless of how we feel about it at any given moment, we can have a full and meaningful life in the bodies we have.”

Mia Primeau July 2020

Select resources: Stanford Health Image Body Program The Body Positive Stanford Research Project Stanford Children’s Health: Boost Your Teen Daughter’s Body Image National Eating Disorders: The Body Project

Featured Articles

The 4 Components of Body Image

Your body image creates the relationship you have with your body..

Posted February 11, 2022 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods

• Your body image encompasses your perceptions, beliefs, feelings, thoughts, and actions that relate to your physical appearance.
• Behaviors that result from a negative body image include avoidance and belittling.
• The four aspects of body image include: perceptual, affective, cognitive, and behavioral.
• If you change your mind about your body, you can remove the limits on what your current body and self can experience.

Your body image encompasses your perceptions, beliefs, feelings, thoughts, and actions that pertain to your physical appearance. In essence, it’s your personal relationship with your body. This definition is helpful because it implies that you have a lot of control over your body image if you’re using the right coping strategies.

Hopefully, we spend most of our time in a body-positive or body-neutral state. However, we know that there is enormous societal pressure to look a certain way, so even the best of us will have insecurities that crop up from time to time.

Examples of negative body image

When people have a negative body image, there are many ways that can manifest. We can be avoidant, avoiding buying new clothes or looking into mirrors. How many of you refuse to wear crop tops? Or hide your legs under long pants because you have thicker thighs? All this does is communicate the message that your body is bad. The first time I wore a two-piece swimsuit, I was close to 400 pounds. I was inspired by Gabifresh, who had dropped on the scene as a fashion blogger and eventually started her own swimsuit line. It was liberating to let it all hang out. We are four-dimensional beings and it’s okay if our curves reflect that.

Another negative body image style is conflictual. Are you constantly battling with your body and telling it that it needs to be something that it’s not? Do you think if you were a little taller or stronger, that woman you’re crushing on would notice you? Do you have curly hair and wish it was straight? Are you more on the slender slide and want to be thicker?

Embrace yourself instead of trying to replace everything that makes you a unique human being. A fun fact: I was born with seven birthmarks, one of which covers almost a third of my torso. I remember being in junior high and wishing that I had unmarked skin like every other girl I saw. Those birthmarks are still there, but my perception changed over time, which is a key aspect of body image.

Another type of negative body image is abusive. Do you have an abusive relationship with your body? Do you call yourself names, or starve yourself, or exercise to the point of exhaustion? These are all examples of the ways we can be abusive to ourselves. I would never condone anyone being abusive, including self-abusive.

Let’s talk about the four aspects of body image:

1. Perceptual

Perceptual body image is how you see yourself. The way that you visualize your body is not always a correct representation of what you actually look like—it's a perception, not the objective truth. For example, a person may perceive themselves to be overweight and bulky when in reality they are extremely thin. You could have a small mole on your nose and perceive yourself as ugly while it’s completely unnoticeable to anyone else.

Perception is a tricky beast. If you want your perception to match reality, mindfulness is your friend. The judgmental statements that we make about ourselves keep our perceptual lens distorted. If I sit down and I have rolls in my belly and I take that as meaning “I’m fat,” then I will see myself as fat. However, if I acknowledge their presence and the fact that it’s totally normal—everyone has rolls!—I can change my experience over time.

2. Affective

Your feelings about your body, especially the amount of satisfaction or dissatisfaction you experience in relation to your looks (e.g., weight, body shape, height, skin tone, aging, etc.) is your affective body image. These are all the things that you like or dislike about your appearance.

Obviously, these feelings are influenced by our societal consumptions: who we see on TV, in movies, in magazines, and, more recently, on social media . It’s important to make a conscious decision about the media you consume and the effect it has on you, both positive and negative. Introduce body image diversity into your life.

Sometimes, we come from cultures that influence these ideas. For instance, I’m Black, and the idealization of large backsides is a part of my culture. Guess who doesn’t have a large butt? Me. But this doesn’t make me any less Black or my body image any less positive. I welcome the Bulgarian Squats that my trainer recommends, hoping I’ll get slightly more rotund glutes, but I know I’ll never be on the same level as Megan Thee Stallion. And this does not change my value as a person.

Hating yourself is not a requirement for change. You can be dissatisfied with something and still accept it. If you’re going to compare your body to other peoples', at least find comparisons that make you feel included and not ones that make you feel ostracized. This will help to improve your body image over time.

3. Cognitive

These are the thoughts and beliefs that you hold about your body.

You might be a guy who thinks, "if I build muscle in my chest and arms, I’ll feel better about myself." Or maybe you're a woman in her 30s who is upset about face and body wrinkles and thinks, "If I can just maintain how I look now, I’ll be happy." If/then contingencies like this often add up to maybe/never results. If you inherently dislike yourself, you’ll move the goal post. You’ll gain 20 pounds of muscle and then say, "I just need to gain 10 more."

I’ve seen many people change their bodies and never be mentally satisfied with the progress. There is always a little more weight to lose, a few more wrinkles to smooth, and a stomach roll that shows up that wasn’t there before. Set positive, health-focused goals , rather than ones based on unrealistic standards.

Be realistic with yourself about your goals and your potential. Instead of trying to avoid aging altogether, perhaps you should define for yourself what aging gracefully looks like. Instead of trying to become the next Jason Mamoa, focus on putting on mass and increasing your musculature healthily, instead.

4. Behavioral

The last aspect of body image is behavioral. This is what actions you take in relation to your body image. When a person doesn’t like how they look, they may display destructive behaviors. This can be anything from excessive exercise habits to disordered eating in an attempt to change their appearance. Others might isolate themselves or not engage in social events.

One of my favorite tips is to focus on the function of your body. If you want to go on more bike rides but you’re out of shape right now, choose easier routes and work your way up to more difficult ones. That’s focusing on function.

Our bodies allow us to be connected to this world. If our bodies take damage from weather and the sun, let us taste foods from every culture and country, race marathons, dance and play, and make love. All of these things can be done by any body type at any age—with a few modifications, of course.

If you change your mind about your body, you remove the limits on what your current body and self can experience. In that way, you can craft an existence of self-acceptance and start living the way you desire.

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Home — Essay Samples — Psychology — Body Image — Body Image and its Impact on Mental Health

Body Image and Its Impact on Mental Health

• Categories: Body Image Body Shaming

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Published: Mar 20, 2024

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The impact of body image on mental health, factors influencing body image, promoting a positive body image.

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The Definition of Body Image and Social Media Essay

Data collection methods to study body image and social media, body checking questionnaire (bcq), reference list.

The definition of body image and the perceptions driven by social media are topics that attract significant attention from scholars. According to Alebachew and Ashagrie (2017, p. 330), body image encompasses a multidimensional paradigm describing a person’s perception or depiction of their outward look. Thus, it revolves around mental images held by individuals regarding their physical appearance. Vannucci and Ohannessian (2018, p.786) point out that body image dissatisfaction (BID) is one of the hypothesized concepts that discuss the incongruity between the ideal and current physical appearance, mainly body size estimation (Ho, Lee and Liao, 2016). Saiphoo and Vahedi (2019, p. 260) assert that social media affects the behavioural, cognitive, affective, and evaluative components of an individual.

Therefore, social media is associated with body image due to its power to influence the psychological aspects of a person that translates to feelings of discontentment with physical appearance (Fardouly, Pinkus and Vartanian 2017, p. 31). Media and culture significantly influence an individuals’ perception of their physical appearance and overall body image. Jung and Jeong (2017, p. 268) allude that exposure to idealised images makes a person feel dissatisfied with their body. As a result, victims exhibit depression and low self-esteem. Thus, people exposed to idealised beauty through social and mainstream media develop or reinforce negative feelings.

Social media has positive impacts on individuals’ perception of their physical appearance based on comparison attributes. For instance, some people feel motivated when they compare themselves to others with better physical attributes (Cramer, Song and Drent 2016, p. 742). In this regard, Social Comparison Theory (SCT) posits that individuals liken their looks to assess their abilities (Robinson et al ., 2017, p. 69). It confirms that people who compare themselves constructively on social media maintain a positive outlook of their body image. Slater, Varsani, and Diedrichs (2017, p. 91) assert that females who read inspiration statements on social media have better physical satisfaction, high positive mood and appreciate their body compared to those who view unbiased images.

Conversely, social media adversely affects an individual’s view of their body appearance. Consequently, they engage in binge eating or food deprivation to attain ideal body size ( The link between social media and body image , 2019). Individuals also change how they look by participating in disordered eating behaviours due to social comparisons (Santarossa and Woodruff, 2017). Social media triggers low self-esteem in people dissatisfied with their body image. A study in the United Kingdom established by Kelly et al . (2018, p. 59) found that girls demonstrate low self-esteem (12.8%) and body-weight displeasure (78.2%) more often compared to 8.9% and 68.3% in boys, respectively. The outcomes underscore the adverse effect of social media on self-esteem due to negative body image perceptions.

Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ)

BIAQ is one of the leading tools used to collect data for evaluating the implication of social media on body image perception. BIAQ includes self-reported questions that focus on behavioural avoidance of situations or practices that influence body image-related distress or displeasure. According to Legenbauer et al . (2020 p. 3), the form contains 19 components spread across four subcategories, which include clothing, social activities, restraint, and grooming/weighing. However, a German version of the questionnaire encompasses three elements; it contains clothing, eating restraint, and social activity, founded on 11 sublevels. The survey consists of a 6-pointscoring scale that establishes the occurrence of targeted behaviour; it starts with never (0) and ends with always (5) (Sandoz et al ., 2020). BIAQ measures behavioural evasion across several purviews that reflect body image discernments.

Therefore, the scale is useful in helping clinicians understand body image concerns demonstrated by patients. Internal consistency validates BIAQ’s significance as a tool for assessing the implication of social media on physical appearance perception. Legenbauer et al . (2020, p. 3) confirm that the questionnaire has good internal consistency marked by a Cronbach’s α=0.64-0.76. Besides, it shows stable test-retest reliability between α=0.64 and α=0.81. Another evaluation by Stapleton, McIntyre and Bannatyne (2016, p.103) found that BIAQ has a dependable internal validity between α=0.64 and α=0.8 based on psychometrical measurements. The tool also provides appropriate, discriminate data across age and gender and between clinical and non-clinical groups.

Body Image Assessment Scale-Body Dimensions (BIAS-BD)

BIAS-BD is an assessment tool examined in 2009 by Gardner et al . that helps collect data to examine how body size affects females’ perception of their physical appearance. The survey utilizes a pictographic scale of profile figures intended to characterise different body proportions ranging between 60% and 140% of a representative Body Mass Index (BMI) of females. Wagner, Aguirre and Sumner (2016) explain that the U.S. Air Force created BIAS-BD through the Material Command Unit with the help of the Generator of Body Data (GEBOD) program. Accordingly, the developers used a sample of 4,325 respondents and ran a regression analysis to produce outlines within intervals of five per cent for each size of a female body (Wagner, Aguirre and Sumner, 2016). Thus, it contains 17 shapes representing diverse BMIs while upholding body dimensions. BIAS-BD is useful in predicting BMI as a positive correlation component associated with people’s sense of dissatisfaction with physical appearance (Sharif, 2017, p. 718). A review by Wagner, Aguirre and Sumner (2016) shows that BIAS-BD produces significant results when assessing the influence of social media on body image elements, such as actual size and dissatisfaction. For instance, the bivariate correlation study conducted by Lewallen (2016, p. 109) indicates that Instagram induces a moderately positive relationship between real BMI and dissatisfaction. Both components had a mean of 21.59 and 13.76 and standard deviation of 3.17 and 11.74, respectively, at r = 0.44 and p < 0.001 (Wagner, Aguirre and Sumner, 2016). Although there is no sufficient evidence to ascertain the validity of BIAS-BD, the statistics exemplify its significance in collecting data to investigate the correlation between social media and body image.

BCQ is a self-administered survey used to collect data for assessing the ways people react to their bodies when exposed to elements, such as social media, which influence their perception. The survey contains 23 items ranked using a Likert scale ranging from one to five (Maïano et al ., 2019). The rating helps to determine how usually a particular behaviour occurs when exposed to triggering factors. Reas (2017) expounds that BCQ considers the total score of individual components between 23 and 115. Besides, it includes a single measurement factor (Body checking), which is compared to interrelated sub-factors. In addition, an Idiosyncratic Checking Scale (ICS) with five elements is integrated into BCQ to examine unusual control behaviour. Legenbauer et al . (2020, p. 3) confirm that BCQ has a reliable internal consistency with Cronbach’s α=0.83-0.92. A German version of BCQ shows similar validity levels marked by Cronbach’s alpha between 0.83 and 0.95. The robust stability makes BCQ a useful tool for collecting data to study the implication of social media on body image perception.

Alebachew, F. and Ashagrie, M. (2017) ‘The body-image concept analysis of youth and adolescent’, American Journal of Biomedical and Life Sciences , 5(6), pp. 130-134.

Cramer, E.M., Song, H. and Drent, A.M. (2016) ‘Social comparison on Facebook: motivation, affective consequences, self-esteem, and Facebook fatigue’, Computers in Human Behavior , 64, pp. 736-746.

Fardouly, J., Pinkus, R.T. and Vartanian, L.R. (2017) ‘The impact of appearance comparisons made through social media, traditional media, and in person in women’s everyday lives’, Body Image , 20, pp. 31-39.

Ho, S. S., Lee, E. W., & Liao, Y. (2016) ‘Social network sites, friends, and celebrities: the roles of social comparison and celebrity involvement in adolescents’ body image dissatisfaction’, Social Media+ Society , 2(3).

Jung, M.R. and Jeong, E. (2017) ‘Convergence factors influencing body image in adolescents’, Journal of Digital Convergence , 15(8), pp. 267-275.

Kelly, Y. et al . (2018) ‘Social media use and adolescent mental health: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study’, EClinical Medicine , 6, pp. 59-68.

Legenbauer, T. et al. (2020) ‘The body image approach test (BIAT): a potential measure of the behavioral components of body image disturbance in anorexia and bulimia nervosa?’ Frontiers in Psychology , 11, p. 30.

Lewallen, J. (2016) ‘When image isn’t everything: the effects of Instagram frames on social comparison’, The Journal of Social Media in Society , 5(2), pp.108-133.

Maïano, C. et al . (2019) ‘Psychometric properties of the body checking questionnaire (BCQ) and of the body checking cognitions scale (BCCS): a bifactor-exploratory structural equation modeling approach’, Assessment.

Reas D.L. (2017) ‘Body checking questionnaire (BCQ)’, in Wade, T. (ed), Encyclopedia of feeding and eating disorders . Singapore: Springer. pp. 65-69

Robinson, L. et al . (2017) ‘Idealised media images: the effect of fitspiration imagery on body satisfaction and exercise behaviour’, Body Image , 22, pp. 65-71.

Saiphoo, A.N. and Vahedi, Z. (2019) ‘A meta-analytic review of the relationship between social media use and body image disturbance’, Computers in Human Behavior , 101, pp. 259-275.

Sandoz, E.K. et al . (2020) ‘Relative associations of body image avoidance constructs with eating disorder pathology in a large college student sample’, Body Image , 34, pp. 242-248.

Santarossa, S. and Woodruff, S.J. (2017) ‘# SocialMedia: exploring the relationship of social networking sites on body image, self-esteem, and eating disorders’, Social Media+ Society , 3(2).

Sharif, P.S. (2017) ‘Development and psychometric evaluation of the breast size satisfaction scale’, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 30 ( 8), pp. 717-727. Web.

Slater, A., Varsani, N. and Diedrichs, P.C. (2017) ‘# fitspo or# loveyourself? the impact of fitspiration and self-compassion Instagram images on women’s body image, self-compassion, and mood’, Body Image , 22, pp. 87-96.

Stapleton, P., McIntyre, T. and Bannatyne, A. (2016) ‘Body image avoidance, body dissatisfaction, and eating pathology: is there a difference between male gym users and non–gym users?’ American Journal of Men’s Health , 10(2), pp. 100-109.

The link between social media and body image (2019) Web.

Vannucci, A. and Ohannessian, C.M. (2018) ‘Body image dissatisfaction and anxiety trajectories during adolescence’, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology , 47(5), pp. 785-795.

Wagner, C., Aguirre, E. and Sumner, E. M. (2016) ‘The relationship between Instagram selfies and body image in young adult women,’ First Monday , 21(9). Web.

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What Is Body Positivity?

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Claudia Chaves, MD, is board-certified in cerebrovascular disease and neurology with a subspecialty certification in vascular neurology.

Verywell / Catherine Song

• How to Improve

Body positivity refers to the assertion that all people deserve a positive body image, regardless of how society and popular culture view ideal shape, size, and appearance. It involves loving your body and feeling good about how it looks.

Keep reading to learn more about body positivity, including what it means, its goals, how it turned into a movement, its benefits, and criticisms. We also share how to feel more positive about your body, which helps support a healthy body image .

What Body Positivity Means

While body positivity has become increasingly popular, people are often confused about exactly what it means. Part of the reason it is so misunderstood is that it has so many different definitions.

 Depending on who you ask, body positivity can mean:

• Appreciating your body despite your perceived flaws
• Feeling confident about your body
• Loving your body
• Accepting your body’s shape and size

Body positivity can also mean enjoying the body you have and not beating yourself up over changes that happen naturally due to aging, pregnancy, or lifestyle choices.

Body Positivity Goals

Some of the goals of body positivity include:

• Challenging how society views the body
• Promoting the love and acceptance of all bodies
• Helping people build confidence in and acceptance of their bodies
• Addressing unrealistic body standards

Body positivity is not just about challenging how society views people based on their physical size and shape, however. It also recognizes that judgments are often made based on a person's race , gender, sexuality, and disability. 

Another goal of body positivity is to help people understand how the media contributes to people's relationships with their bodies, including how they feel about food, exercise, clothing, health, identity, and self-care. By better understanding the effect these influences have, the hope is that people can develop a healthier and more realistic relationship.

Press Play for Advice On Dealing With Body Image Issues

This episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast , featuring model Iskra Lawrence, shares how to be more comfortable in your body and with the way you look. Click below to listen now.

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The Body Positivity Movement

Body positivity is rooted in the "fat acceptance movement" of the late 1960s. The focus of this movement was on ending the culture of fat shaming and discrimination against people based on their size or body weight. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance was established in 1969 and continues to work to change how people talk about weight.

In the mid-1990s, the term "body positive" emerged, when a psychotherapist and an individual formerly treated for an eating disorder founded the website thebodypositive.org . This site offers resources and educational materials designed to help people feel good about their bodies by taking the focus off of losing weight through unhealthy diet and exercise efforts.

Around 2012, the body positivity movement began to emerge in its current form. It initially challenged unrealistic feminine beauty standards. As the movement grew, the idea of weight acceptance began to shift toward a message that “all bodies are beautiful." Instagram played a pivotal role in this movement's growing popularity.

The impact of body positivity can be seen in several ways. Some magazines have stopped airbrushing or photo editing models, for instance, while companies such as Dove and Aerie have developed marketing campaigns incorporating body positivity messages.

Benefits of Body Positivity

Body positivity strives to help people develop a healthy body image. A person's body image—which is a subjective perception of one's own body—may be different from how their body actually appears. This can lead to feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that impact their mental health and how they treat themselves.

Research suggests that having a positive body image is associated with a reduced risk of depression, higher self-esteem , and fewer dieting behaviors. Body image also plays a role in how people feel about their appearance and how they judge their self-worth.

Conversely, problems can emerge as a result of poor body image, including:

• Depression: Women experience depression at much higher rates than men, and some researchers believe that body dissatisfaction may play an important role in explaining this gender difference in depression rates .
• Low self-esteem: Research has found that body dissatisfaction is associated with poor self-esteem in adolescents, also increasing their risk of depression and anxiety.  
• Eating disorders: Research also indicates that body dissatisfaction is linked to disordered eating , particularly among adolescent girls.  

The formation of body image starts early in life and, unfortunately, even young children may suffer from body dissatisfaction. According to one study, 50.5% of girls and 35.9% of boys wanted a thinner body shape.

Research has consistently shown that the media contributes to body dissatisfaction . It is not just exposure to "ideal" body images that pose a danger; it is the development of beliefs that beauty, success, and esteem are determined by thinness.

Body positivity hopes to address these issues by helping people recognize the influences contributing to poor body image. The hope is that people will then be able to adjust their body expectations and feel more positive and accepting of their own bodies. Such acceptance may then help combat the toll that poor body image has on their health.

Criticisms of Body Positivity

While the body positivity message is intended to help people feel better about themselves, it isn’t without its problems and critics. For example, one problem is the idea that body positivity implies that people should do whatever they think they need to do to feel positive about how they look.

Unfortunately, the popular messages that people are bombarded with include the idea that thinner, fitter people are happier, healthier, and more beautiful. This idealization of thinness can then contribute to people engaging in unhealthy actions—including excessive exercise or extreme diets—under the guise of feeling "body positive."

Another criticism of body positivity is that it can be non-inclusive. Depictions of body positivity messages tend to exclude people of color as well as those who are disabled or part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The body images portrayed in body-positive messages often still conform to a specific beauty ideal; many people simply don’t feel included in body positivity. 

Another criticism of the body positivity trend is that it makes the appearance of the body one of the most important elements of a person’s self-perception. It neglects all the other elements of a person’s identity that are more important than how a person looks.

How to Improve Your Body Positivity

Body positivity is designed to foster acceptance and love of your body, but it can be a struggle that adds another element of pressure and impossible standards to live up to. So what can you do to maintain a healthy body image?

Be Realistic

Telling people to ignore the dominant beauty ideal isn’t realistic. This can also create more pressure for a person who is already feeling anxious , negative, and devalued. 

Instead, recognize that although an "ideal" body image exists, this doesn't mean that you have to subscribe to it. You still have value and worth, no matter your body shape and size.

Replace Negative Thought Patterns

Repeating positive affirmations you don't believe in can backfire. It may even leave you feeling worse about yourself than you did before.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't say nice things or think positive thoughts about yourself. But a better approach would be to work on replacing negative thought patterns with more realistic ones.

Adopt Body Neutrality

It’s okay to admit that you don’t necessarily love everything about your body. It’s also okay to feel neutral or even indifferent. Your worth and value do not lie in your shape, size, or in any other aspect of your appearance. Body image does play a part in self-concept, but it isn’t everything.

Focus on taking the mental spotlight off your body and try to base your self-perceptions on other parts of yourself.

Admittedly, this isn't always easy. There will be moments when you feel weak, dislike aspects of yourself, and compare yourself to others . The key is to keep trying to find new ways to avoid the negative thought patterns that contribute to poor body image.

Try Health-Focused Self-Care

Self-care strategies can sometimes masquerade as a way to change or control your appearance. However, they should focus on doing things that make you feel good about the body you have now.

Show respect for your body. Eat healthy meals because it fuels your mind and body. Exercise because it helps you feel strong and energized, not because you're trying to change or control your body.

Feel Good In Your Clothes

Wear and buy clothes for the body you have now—not for some planned future version of yourself. You might be holding onto your “thin clothes” because you plan to eventually lose weight, but such habits can make it hard to feel good about yourself today.

Look for things that make you feel comfortable and good about how you look. Purge your closet of clothes that don't fit your current physique. Your body may change in size and shape in the future, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to look and feel good about yourself in the here and now.

Purge Your Social Media

Purge your social media feeds of accounts that don’t make you feel good about yourself. If you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others, you’re less likely to feel good about yourself.

Follow accounts that spark your interests and that leave you with positive feelings. Try following body-positive accounts that are inclusive of all body types, shapes, colors, genders, and abilities.

Fortunately, body dissatisfaction may be on the decline. However, there are still several things you can do to feel more positive about your body, leading to a healthier body image and even a happier life.

Peyton Sutley . In: An Ecological Approach to Obesity and Eating Disorders .

Cleveland Clinic. What's the difference between body positivity and body neutrality?

National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. About us .

The Body Positive. Frequently asked questions .

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

English 110-Section 45111

Home » News » Body Image: Our Reflections

Body Image: Our Reflections

What do we see in the mirror? Today society, body image has become a problem that many women are impacted by. We tend to put norms of what is the ideal image that women and girls must have. Society argues that through the use of media, magazines, and each other, we put the pressure of having the perfect body image. Others argue we use these platforms to demonstrate positive body image. The implications of what society says can impact the way women and girls view themselves. Due to society pointing out women’s differences as flaws, it lowers a woman’s self-esteem When we stare at a mirror, we don’t usually point out our best qualities instead, we focus on the qualities we believe are flaws while ignoring the positive views on body image.

Social media has become the dominant source and platform of our world today. Scrolling down and up looking at posts in social media has shown that there is a connection with body dissatisfaction. “This increase in usage of social media, especially Facebook and Instagram, may negatively affect adolescent girls and young women regarding their self-confidence and body satisfaction” (Makwana). Women and young girls are being influenced by what they see in social media. Yet the influences they are looking up to are not always the reality. We have so many types of women that all look different but are not being represented. Due to the lack of reality in social media, girls assume that being skinny, tall, and white defines beauty. Causing girls to have low self-confidence and body satisfaction. According to Bindal Makwana, and her other colleagues wrote an article on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook having an impact. The Guardian’s Mahita Gajanan interviewed various girls and came to learn that many young women associated the number of “likes” with whether or not their photos that they were posting in social media reached people’s satisfaction. “It was a common theme that women were dedicating extensive amounts of time to thinking about what image to upload, photoshopping it and regularly checking their personal page to see the updated “like” counts, which in turn increased their own insecurities”(Makwana). It does not come as a surprise when social media and opinions of others have become a regulated thing in our lives. Wanting to be accepted and fit in with the norms can impact our lives mostly making women insecure. Therefore, not only are women looking for acceptance, but they are also looking for the ability to say they have such a large number of followers and trying to be on top. For example, when we see celebrities’ posts and notice that we do not look like them, it can have a mental impact on how we view ourselves, and what we see is wrong. It comes back to social media having a connection with body dissatisfaction. According to  Makwana there has been proof of a link between Instagram and body dissatisfaction. For example, Makwana states, “Emily Bryngelson, an associate designer at Ann Taylor, who admitted to struggling with an  eating disorder  as a teenager, revealed that she deletes selfies if she doesn’t receive enough “likes” (Fleming, 2014). She explains, “Instagram makes me so anxious. I’m always looking at other women thinking, ‘I wish I looked like that,’ or ‘I should get more in shape.’…I mean, young girls can now follow Victoria’s Secret models and see what they look like in the ‘every day.’…That has got to make any woman, let alone a 13-year-old girl, feel unsure of herself.” Many women look at social media platforms and looking at one photo can cause a negative feeling towards how they look. 

However, social media has also become a platform where many women have shared positive body image empowerment. For the purpose of boosting up other girls and women’s reflection of their body image. For example, “The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), who works with various social media platforms to ban certain hashtags, remove unhealthy and dangerous feeds, and provide a link to their website along with an advisory warning when certain hashtags or links are clicked”. NEDA has used the social media platform to get across to girls about their message of having a positive outlook towards body imaging. They have done this by creating a website called the Proud2BMe, to encourage healthy body image and a relationship with food (Tackett Brittany). According to Tackett, Instagram has become a community where individuals are able to express their experiences with others to build support and inspiration for positive body imaging. Acknowledging that social media has an impact on girls can help girls find models that display a positive body image. For example, Mazu wrote an article with a section of body-positive role models. One of the role models is  Yulianna Yussef  who has congenital melanocytic nevus. Which means that she is covered by large birthmarks. She states that it hasn’t stopped her from wearing what makes her feel good, and helping others understand what nevus is. Yussef herself states “On my social media feed I try to post fancy photos that showcase how confident I am about my birthmarks, self-acceptance and how I’ve learned to live with my giant Nevus.” Models like her can help other young girls have role models that do not look like the typical body image you would see in social media or magazines.

Magazines are a platform that displays the beauty standard for a woman. You flip the pages of a magazine and you most likely see what society says is the definition of a woman is beautiful. In terms of body type, skin color, hairstyles, and even ethnicity. Looking through those magazines and noticing that most of us do not look like the models being presented in them makes women feel unincluded. “Magazine and Body Image”, is an article that shared their study on how well magazines diversified what beauty looks like across 35 publications. Their study was based on studying over 3,700 magazine covers across the U.K. and U.S. According to “Magazines and Body Image”, “At least one  study  found looking at a magazine for just 60 minutes lowered the self-esteem of 80 percent of female participants”. Magazines not being able to represent all types of women can send the wrong message to the girls and women who look at those magazines. We quickly start looking at the differences between the photos and our reflections of ourselves in the mirror. Society creates the segment that if we are not tall, white, skinny with perfect skincare and hair, we do not meet the definition of what society believes is beauty. We then call “imperfect” skin, hair, body type as flaws. The reality is that most of the time what we see in those images is not real, just in social media. Due to editors not being satisfied with how models look, they photoshop and use image manipulation tools to create the ideal women’s standards of how they are supposed to look.  What then happens is that young girls look at these pictures and think of how they are supposed to look and in reality, there should not be a definition of what beauty is.  

On the other hand, as more people speak out about body image, we start to see differences in platforms like magazines. For example, “In 2013, 84 percent of magazine covers…featured Caucasian models, actors, actresses, and pop culture icons. 2017 found 78 percent of magazine covers featured white cover models compared to only 10 percent black and 12 percent combined Hispanic, biracial, and any other ethnicity”. Magazines are making the effort to represent all types of women. An example that showed this is when we started to see plus-size women being featured in magazines. For instance, model Ashley Graham, who was featured in  the cover of American Vogue  ( G arcia Laia). Having models like Graham who are plus size can have a positive impact on girls who like her because they are seeing them in magazines where we only see the size zero types of girl.  According to Garcia, “there are still stylists and industry insiders willing to put in the work so that the plus-size women we do see in magazines reflect the same level of aspirational glamour as their straight-size counterparts”. Magazines are a platform that influences many of its young women and girls. Showing the different body images can help many girls and women come to realize that their “flaws” are not imperfections as they think. 

The use of social media and magazines have become platforms where society has used to show representations to the public about women and body image. Whether they are getting unrealistic images of how they are supposed to look. Or the other side of where women are embracing the flaws that society does not consider beauty. Either side women should know in reality our society is built from women being different sizes, skin color, hairstyles, and many other physical features. We all should be represented equally in any platform seen as beautiful because the message that we should get across is, what makes us beautiful is uniqueness not the standards we are put up with. 

Work Cited 

Garcia, Laia. “Why Are Magazines Still Not Letting Plus Women Actively  Participate in         

Fashion?”  Refinery29.  22 December 2017. Web

Mazu. “Body Positivity-Using Social Media for Good”  Medium.  2 January 2018. Web 

Makwana , Bindal ,   Lee , Yaeeun, Parkin, Susannah &  Farmer,  Leland. “Selfie-Esteem: The     

Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction and Social Media in Adolescent and Young Women.”  In-mind Magazine . Print

“Magazine and Body Image” ZAVA. N.D. print

 Tackett, Brittany . “Social Media and Body Image”  Projectknow.  Web 

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Social Media and Body Image Essay

How it works

Have you ever looked in the mirror and said something negative about yourself?

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary body image is, “”a subjective picture of one’s own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of other. Negative body image and low self-esteem are real problems and I want to discover the causes, how much of a factor social media is, and ways that people can get help to move past it.

Many people see things they do not like about their body that others do not even notice.

Negative body image is on the rise and some believe that it could be due to mass media. There is a high quantity of research being done because negative body image does not need to happen. Most researchers are focusing on the main causes of low self-esteem and body image, the effects mass media has created, and how someone can overcome their problems.

Researchers are identifying what in the first-place causes someone to one day love their body to all of the sudden hating it. Negative body-image and low self-esteem are very similar things. Low self-esteem is when someone lacks confidence in themselves often. According to the “”Department of Health & Human Services, (Department of Health & Human Services May 2014), some of the causes for low self-esteem are an unhappy childhood, poor academic performance, a stressful life, poor treatment from a partner or parent, ongoing medical issues, and also mental illness. In another article the Department of Health & Human Services, (Department of Health & Human Services August 2014) states that things such as, being teased about the way one looked in their childhood, having dieting parents, and the medias tendency to promote thinner people, are all causes of negative body image. All of these things that are listed above are things that could lead to low self-esteem and create a negative body image. Through exploration one can discover that there are many things that are said to cause negative body image and low self-esteem. Another cause of negative body image is fat talk.

Some researchers are also discovering what fat talk is and why it happens. Fat talk is as simple as its name suggests. It is talking about someone’s body in a negative way while emphasizing on weight and shape. In the journal, “”Body Image, (Chow, Hart, Tan 2018) it states that 93% of young women had fat talked while only 11% of men had been in this situation. Fat talk could be talking about oneself or it could also be talking about someone else’s body. No matter how it is being done such as about oneself, someone else’s body, or even their appearance it could affect them more than people realize. In the article, “”Fat Talk, written by Sarah Royal for “”The National Eating Disorder Information Centre (Fat Talk 2012) she states that fat talk often happens, and it is not realized that it is being done. These fat talk conversations also happen very often in the dressing room while people are trying on clothing. Social media is said to have caused a raise in the amount of fat talk online.

Researchers are discovering what amount of negative body image and low self-esteem that mass media is blamed for. Social media can be used for very good things, but it can also cause some not so good things. There have been studies that show that when someone looks at a picture of a skinny model they then compare themselves to that model. In the journal “”#SocialMedia, (Santarossa & Woodruff 2017), it explains that the online environment is full of pictures of celebrity and models for someone to compare themselves to other people. Social media is also used as a platform for influencers to help others with things that they themselves have gone through in the past. Richard Perloff says that the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have all conducted experiments and research that have evidence that social media has effects on body image problems (Perloff 2014). With the rise of users on social media there are a lot of opportunities for people to see others and compare their body to the fit model on social media. Fat talk and social media may cause negative body image and low self-esteem but how does someone who has these things get over it?

Once someone has low self-esteem and see their body negatively, it is very important that they seek help or work on gaining confidence themselves. According to “”The Department of Health and Human Services a few ways to build one’s self-esteem are talking to oneself positively, do not compare yourself to others, do not worry, and there are also many more small things someone can do. People should always talk positively about themselves but if someone is going through low self-esteem it is very important that they find something positive to talk about. One way that would be very simple is to find something positive that they like about themselves every day and this will eventually be a habit. Comparing to others is a very easy thing to do especially because with every advertisement if there is someone on the ad then it is normally a skinny, beautiful girl or a fit, muscular guy. If someone worries often then it is very easy to worry about their body and what everyone else thinks about them but that should not matter. What other people say about you should not bother you at all, but this is easier to say then to actually do. As Bob Marley said, “”Don’t worry be happy.

According to the BYU Counseling Center, at any one point in time 50% of women are on a diet. BYU also reports that 14% of five-year-old girls say that they go on diets. It also stated in the article that 98% of people who diet gain their weight back in five years (Ways to Overcome a Negative Body Image, BYU). Another thing to take in to account when someone is trying to get over their negative body image is their genetics. Everyone is made a different way and not one person looks exactly the same as another. According to “”Building Self-esteem: A Self-Help Guide (Building Self-esteem: A Self-Help Guide), a few other things someone can do to help themself are things such as, wear outfits that make someone feel good about themselves, do things nice to other people and it will make them feel good, and they could also reward themselves for little things that they have accomplished. In conclusion there are many ways for someone to get over their negative body image and low self-esteem problems.

As you can see, negative body image and low self-esteem are major problems in our society today. This can be caused by things such as social media, family problems, academic problems, fat talk, and many other things. People are constantly researching to find what specific things trigger negative body image and low self-esteem. As often as they are researching what causes it, they are also researching what can be done to help people who have already been affected to get over this. There are many more things to be discovered about negative body image and its causes.

In the future I plan on arguing that women are more effected with body image and self-esteem problems than men. Everyone needs to be informed about the causes of negative body images and also how to recover from negative body images and self-esteem, but I want to look at the research on who is affected more and I believe it is young women.

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