Trigger warning: Body image

Most of us would agree that it would be best not to have to spend our energy hyper-focusing on our looks. Modeling industries, photography, magazines, social media, TV, etc., keep encouraging unrealistic beauty standards, and women and  girls assume that’s how they should look. If you keep trying to fulfill an ideal that isn’t achievable naturally, by letting the media guide you, it will continue to have adverse effects on your mental health and add stress to your daily life.

According to research, it has been proven that it’s more likely that women are praised more for their looks than the quality of their character. The media focuses on showing women who have the “ideal.” body, causing loud whispers pounding in females’ heads on how they should look. If you feel this way, you’re not alone. According to DoSomething.org, about 91 percent of women are unhappy with their bodies in America, and only 5 percent naturally have the body encouraged by the media. In addition, more than one in five adults say images in advertising caused them to be anxious about their body, and one in eight adults have experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings concerning their body image. Most teen girls and women have their eyes glued on the “perfect body,” causing an endless loop of loathing of their own figure. Females trying to fit into what society says is the “flawless body” is like trying to fit a puzzle piece that will never fit without contorting it. Higher dissatisfaction with your body is related to having a lower quality of life. In contrast, having a positive outlook on your body has been linked to better health and lifestyle. If you have low self-esteem, it can heavily affect other aspects of your life. For example, the exposure of unrealistic body images can cause long-term health conditions and significant determinants of mental health. If this is happening to you and keeps occurring, you will never be satisfied with your body.

How can you end negative feelings about your body image and build self-love? Author, Allison Stewart, wanted to feel good about her body and concluded that her value doesn’t lie in how her body looks (Stewart). She advises other women and girls not to compare themselves to others. Simply unfollowing or blocking social media accounts that encourage women and girls to look at their own bodies negatively can help stop them from constantly chasing a body that isn’t their own. In addition, positive affirmations help change one’s mindset and perspective allowing you to look at your body more positively. For example, if women and girls all practiced healthy eating and lifestyles and realized that not one body is the “ideal,” we could work towards the destigmatization of self-love. What if all bodies were normalized? What if you didn’t have to fixate on your body constantly? What if the media didn’t pressure you to possess a certain figure? What if we all had self-love?

Below are some additional resources:

National Eating Disorder Association 

CALL (800) 931-2237

Monday—Thursday 11am—9pm ET

Friday 11am—5pm ET

Translation services are available on the phone.

TEXT (800) 931-2237

Monday—Thursday 3pm—6pm ET

Friday 1pm—5pm ET

Standard text messaging rates may apply.

US Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Women’s Health  1-800-994-9662 

MD Health and Human Service Hotline  

Call: 211

Thank you to Ms. Thompson-Jones for her guidance.

Sources

11 facts about Body Image. DoSomething.org. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-body-image

Body image: How we think and feel about our bodies. Mental Health Foundation. (2021, July 16). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/body-image-report.

Body image. Body image | Office on Women’s Health. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/body-image-and-mental-health/body-image.

Stewart, A. R. (2018, September 18). 

13 habits of self-love every woman should adopt. Healthline.

Retrieved December 1, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/13-self-love-habits-every-woman-needs-to-have#1.-Stop-comparing-yourself-to-others