Body image, we all have it. And there is a reason none likes to talk about it.
Although there are those people out there completely secure with the way they look, unfortunately, they are the minority. When the topic of body image is brought up, it is usually associated with the negative way people see themselves. As the body smart communities objective is aimed at promoting positive body image, they often do so in a way that focuses on negative body image. Insecurities are what cause negative body image so why would someone want to talk about the flaws they see in themselves?
The root of negative body image is the comparisons we make between ourselves and others. Body image directly affects self-esteem, so it makes sense why people who obsess over the qualities they admire in others have accumulated negative body image toward themselves. Don’t get me wrong, it is natural for people to subconsciously compare themselves to others as most of the time we don't realize we are doing it. But, by being more cautious about this habit, we can start to change the way people think about themselves.
As an outlet that has made it easier to do so, social media is the main contributor to negative body image amongst both men and women. Media has created this idea of the perfect body type is, and people believe it.
The media industry spends copious amounts of time taking thousands of photos to get one good one. Then, once they have sorted through all of them, they will on average spend two to four hours’ photoshopping them.
When people look at these images they are only seeing what they want to look like, or what they think others find attractive. Most of the time they are not taking into account all the editing that has been done to make the image look as appealing as possible. The leading factor for negative body image, are these altered photographs that do not portray reality and cause people to become self-conscious.
On the internet, people only give one perspective of them self, and that’s the one that they want you to see. Their best self.
It is fun to follow celebrities and trends, but it is important to not let physical appearance affect your overall health and happiness. Remember that our own individuality is more beautiful than physical appearance. The term body image should be associated with the beauty one sees in themselves rather than having a focus on admirable traits in others compared to our own flaws.
Okay. I know this is not as easy as it sounds, especially with push notification that alert you when someone does something online. And to tell you the truth, I do not know the answer to fixing this issue. But, what I do know is that we can start by focusing on positive body image and supporting each other to do so. I'll start here by reminding you that the only person we can be is ourselves. Once we stop seeing traits as flaws and start accepting them as individuality, there will be no controversy surrounding body image. There is no such thing as perfection. But if there was, it would be called diversity.
If you have time for a short video, I guarantee it will make your day:
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