What is body image?
It is the way our culture and surroundings affect the perception of our bodies. It largely refers to confidence and the comfort we feel in our own skin.
Some of the factors that make up our body image are:
What we think about our appearance
How we feel about various aspects of our bodies such as height, weight, etc.
How we act and feel in our bodies
We need to recognize that discrimination due to race, sexual orientation, and ability are great contributors to people’s struggles with body image. Contrary to popular belief, gender is not much of a factor here, however, studies have shown that men are less likely to speak about their self-perception.
Societal standards have a huge effect on how we perceive our bodies and many of those standards are perpetuated on social media. Some studies show that time spent scrolling through content such as model or fitness accounts negatively affects our confidence, comfort, and self-acceptance. In some cases, negative body image can lead to a lack of confidence, shame, embarrassment, eating disorders, or depression.
"People end up creating unrealistic ideals for themselves based on what they see and feel distressed when they aren't able to meet those ideas or self-expectations," - - Neha Chaudhary, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
So what can we do to improve our body image and lower the risk of any negative consequences?
Luckily there are a lot of initiatives working to broaden the definitions of beauty and offer diverse representation to young people. Find a community that will help you change your mindset and encourage pride and confidence.
Taking a break from social media, or unfollowing the accounts that make us compare ourselves to others might also bring positive effects.
Remember that many influencers use photoshop and what you see on social media is not always the reality. Norway's Parliament, for example, has passed a law that will require content creators to disclose when they have retouched or added a filter to a photo.
Talk to your friends and family and ask for support, when needed, talk to a mental health professional who has experience in the topic and will offer the necessary help
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