Body Image Is the Concept of How We Think About, Feel About, and Generally Perceive Our Body
It is a complex awareness that is fluid and malleable. It can change from day to day or even moment to moment based on environmental and situational context such as what we are taking in visually, who we are around, how we are feeling, how we are talking to ourselves, and how we reflect on this information.
Having a negative body image can increase the negative thoughts and feelings a person has about themselves and be a driving factor to change their bodies through risky disordered behaviors like dieting, excessive exercise, invasive medical procedures, and purging. Poor body image is directly related to increased development of depression, interpersonal anxiety, and the development of an eating disorder (1).
So now that we know what body image is and how it can influence the development of an eating disorder, where does it come from?
Body image development is complex and evolves over time. Bodily awareness begins in early childhood and continues to develop like other parts of our sense of self through past historical influences and our current day-to-day experiences. Combined, these experiences shape how a person views their appearance and determines how they think, feel, and react toward their body.
There are four categories of historical influences that impact body image development: cultural forces, interpersonal experiences, physical characteristics and changes, and individual personality traits (T.F. Cash, 2008).
In our society, we are constantly bombarded with appearance-based information that dictates the value and meanings of physical appearance.
Have you noticed how people in fat bodies are generally treated differently than those in thin bodies? How thinness is deeply revered and associated with purity and success? What about the typecasting of characters in movies as lazy or dumb or even evil if they are in a larger body? You may have noticed how casual it is to pass judgment about the appearance of strangers if it deviates from the narrow confines of beauty and fitness standards of our diet culture. Who gets bullied in school and excluded from peer groups or sports teams? Do you think it has anything to do with their looks?
These are some examples of the effects that diet culture has on body image and how bodies are perceived and treated differently based on the cultural values of those bodies. The trouble is, these types of normalized behaviors impact everyone’s body image around you, including yourself. The message from this type of cultural socialization is, “My body is unworthy of acceptance and not good enough unless it resembles XYZ.” “My body is not safe to exist in this space and I will be treated badly if my body looks like XYZ.”
Forming Early Body Image Expectations
Because body image begins to develop in early life and is influenced by our daily experiences, our interpersonal experiences also impact a person’s body image. Our direct caregivers are often the first to teach us about our bodies and how to care for them. They may communicate direct expectations on how to look “Brush your hair before leaving the house, you don’t want to be seen like that do you?” “Don’t eat that, it will go straight to your thighs!” These types of comments may be well-intentioned, especially through the filter of societal expectations but they can also cause harm to body image. A child looks to their caregivers for feedback on how to understand the world and themselves.
This is where “fat talk” can be so crucial in body image development.
Fat talk involves degrading the body shape and weight of oneself or others often as a way to seek reassurance and connection but reinforces negative biases about bodies (Nichter, 2000). If you grew up with a parent who finds fault in their own appearance or is constantly trying to change their body, you may feel anxious or judgemental toward your own body. Both praise and bullying can also fuel body dissatisfaction, through internalized pressure to always look a certain way or to never show perceived flaws.
Often the struggle with body image is first seen around puberty when natural and normal physiological changes can feel shocking, scary, or even grotesque. At a time when acceptability by peers is focal, these changes can trigger body image insecurities. Even with time, as growth stabilizes, the emotional impacts of this time can linger as insecurities and unacceptable to the person. This can be a confusing component of body image. Another example is a person who turns to disordered eating to change the shape of their body and relieve emotional distress, who may notice that even with weight loss the lingering feeling of the body being flawed persists, often driving the person to more extreme behaviors. When the mind categorizes the body or parts of the body as flawed, needing to be changed, or even the enemy, it can be hard to stop thinking of the body in this way.
Temperament and personality can also influence body image
One mean or critical comment from a classmate or parent may roll off the back of one person and for the other, this experience may be re-lived over and over in their mind causing distress, worry, and feelings of inadequacy. Perfectionistic tendencies can compound negative body image and preoccupation with one’s looks and concern that others perceive them as flawed, demanding more physical perfection from themselves. DBT is a well-known therapeutic treatment modality that can effectively increase self-worth, build flexibility of thought, and support acceptance of self.
Body image is part of who we know ourselves to be, and is made up of how we think about, feel about, and perceive our body, filtered through our historical and daily experiences. If we have issues with it, our quality of life can be degraded. This is why mindful awareness and critical thinking skills are so helpful when working to repair negative body image. To have skill in filtering information and reframing our thoughts directly affects our body image positively. A skilled therapist can help you learn DBT, CBT, and mindful self-compassion skills, which are powerful tools to help you repair body image issues.
Please be gentle with yourself as we explore these hard truths.
It can be painful and frustrating to see how much diet culture objectifies bodies and its messages about what a “good” body or a “bad” body permeates our lives through messages from marketers in the diet and wellness industries, social media, and even our friends and families. Sadly cultural messages about bodies make us feel that our bodies aren’t okay just as they are, leaving us feeling dissatisfied and wanting to change our bodies. The good news is there are ways to heal your body image and support loved ones who are struggling. The idea is to become more aware of the things that lead to negative body image and be more mindful of how these subtle aggressions and demonizing of fatness can impact you or your child and put them at risk for developing an eating disorder or other mental illness.
Our bodies are not the enemy and they never have been. Body image can be repaired on all the same levels that it springs from: cultural, interpersonal, and personal. If you or your child is struggling with body image, know there is help and a path to lasting change. An experienced clinician can help guide you as you seek to better understand your relationship with your body and body image. You deserve to be at peace with your body and with food.
I highly recommend this video and book for further information on the origins of body image and how to compassionately talk to yourself and your child about body image.
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Other Services Offered by Kindful Body Counseling
Eating disorder counseling isn’t the only service offered by Kindful Body. Other services offered include low self-esteem issues, emotional eating recovery, nutrition counseling, binge eating disorder, and body image. Our team is here to help you with your eating disorder recovery whether you need eating disorder treatment in Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland/Berkeley, Walnut Creek, San Mateo, Orange County, CA, or anywhere in California. Learn more about us by checking out our blog andFAQs page!
