"Body image" refers to the mental picture we have of our own bodies. This is a "perception" of how we think we look, in combination with how we think others perceive our bodies. Since it is a perception, "objective reality" may play little or even no role in the formation of how we perceive ourselves. Typically, for example, a person with a distorted body image perception believes that their whole body or else some part of it is larger than it actually is and regardless of facts to the contrary.
How we perceive our bodies is influenced by many factors, including parental, friends and life experiences. These and other socio-cultural factors endorse specific ideas on, for example, attractiveness and thinness. The mass media exerts strong influences, but unfortuantely, it defines attractiveness which can only be attained by 10% of women, and then only with plastic surgery! Really!
Having a positive self-image is related to having strong positive feelings about yourself and others, being self-acceptant regarding many personal issues, and being able to interact with others in wholesome and satisfying ways.
So how does it feel to live in that body of yours? Do you tell yourself you would be happy if only you were thin? Is your mood determined by the number on your bathroom scale? Do you overexercise to stay thin? Do you define yourself on the basis of the way your body looks? Do you punish yourself for falling short of the standards for attractiveness and thinness as defined by mass media?
Both males and females are at risk for developing body image distortions, eating disorders and even obesity. College athletes, for example, who participate in sports with weight restrictions may more readily develop eating disorders than their non-participating peers. Sports such as wrestling, running, swimming and gymnastics place a premium on body weight issues and the athlete must be very attentive to them or else risk developing an eating disorder.
Tips For Body Image Health
