Look Beyond the Mirror...

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What is body image?  What are some things that can influence a person's body image?  How can having a negative body image lead to unhealthy habits such as disordered eating?

Body image (or self-image) is one's perception of themselves and their own body.  Whether it is how you see yourself in the mirror or how you see yourself in your mind.  Having a negative body image can lead to talking bad about yourself and criticizing yourself, making you question your self-worth.  Negative body image is a leading cause of eating disorders due to the quest to "perfection" through restrictive eating.

There are a lot of things that can influence one's self-image: media, magazines, society, friends, family, etc.  Advertisements are a big part of the problem.  80% of women say that images of women on TV and in movies, fashion magazines, and advertising make them feel insecure.  Advertisements are created to do one thing... convince you to buy or support a specific product or service.  They don't care about who you are, how you look, or what you do; they want to make money!  So their goal is to convince you that you're not good enough the way you are and you need to purchase their product or service to make you look and feel better.  It's nothing new; advertisements like this have been around for decades but now, you can't flip through a magazine without seeing an advertisement that uses "sex" or "sexual" images to help sell products.  Most of the time I don't even know what they're selling because all I see are naked people... it's not until I spot the microscopic product image in the bottom corner that I understand what the advertisement is for.  With technology these days, we have to remind ourselves that most of the images are Photoshopped but I, first-hand experience, can definitely understand how images of "perfect" and "flawless" bodies can make someone feel insecure.  How about exercise equipment commercials?  Those are my biggest pet-peeve!  They hire these muscular, beyond fit models to market equipment, and people don't understand that these models didn't get that fit by solely using that equipment alone!  They workout 24-7 to stay fit so they can be hired to model in these types of commercials.  It's their job!  If that was my only job, I'd imagine that I'd look pretty darn good myself!

So why do we constantly compare ourselves to others?  Why are we constantly striving to have the "perfect" body?  Instead of trying to conform, maybe we should start embracing our differences.  Instead of wasting time wanting what we don't have, maybe we should start appreciating what we do.  Everyone has their own perceptions of what "perfect" looks like so is there really any such thing as "perfect"?  The fact of the matter is: we are all "imperfectly perfect"!

How can you improve your own body image?

• Know and accept what determines your physical characteristics: genetics, stage of life, environments, nutritional intake, activity level
• Avoid comparing yourself to others (especially models and celebrities)
• Stop dieting - learn to eat more naturally
• Recognize that you are a whole person and more than just individual body parts or a number on a scale - "Look Beyond the Mirror, Reflect on What's Within"
• Respect yourself and others - learning to accept and respect other people's differences will help you to accept and respect your own
• Daily affirmations/positive thinking - say one positive thing to yourself everyday!

How do you feel about advertisements in general, especially false advertising?  Do you feel there needs to be more regulations on how products are marketed?