Growing up, we are constantly told we are not good enough. Maybe not directly, but we compare ourselves to photo-shopped images of models who have professional teams of nutrition experts, makeup artists, and personal trainers. We watch America’s Next Top Model, or the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and that little voice in the back of our heads asks why we don’t look like that.
According to Tri Delta's BodyImage3D® program, "more than 90 percent of girls ages 15 to 17, want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with body weight ranking the highest" and "67 percent of women 15-64 withdraw from life-engaging activities like giving an opinion, going to school and going to the doctor because they feel badly about their looks."
In Los Angeles especially, there seems to be an even greater focus on personal appearance. College students in L.A. have possible connections with celebrities through jobs, internships, and mere proximity. On every corner, there is a new juice bar, cycling studio, or kale/quinoa/Brussels sprouts brunch locale with an Instagram-worthy atmosphere. While these places are fun, and it’s important to eat healthy, they can also make you obsessed with current trends and new ways to lose weight.
With all of these outside influences, we look to those around us for direction. But more often than not, those people have a skewed idea of body image. When friends start to “fat talk” and point out everything negative about their own bodies, you start to feel expected to do the same.
Recognize when this happens, and point it out. Most people don't even realize that they do it, but when people "fat talk," it is bad for everyone involved.
In 2012, Tri Delta began BodyImage3D® "as a multi-dimensional approach to body image awareness and education." The program encourages individuals to live life in 3D, which encompasses "a healthy mind, body, and spirit."
Every year, Tri Delta chapters across the country put on Fat Talk Free® Week. It is "an annual five-day body image awareness campaign, typically held in October, that draws attention to body image issues and the damaging impact of the 'thin ideal' on women in society."
Take the time to develop your own self-confidence, independent from other people's opinions of you. When it comes to your body, the only opinion that truly matters is your own.
