Body Image
Our body image refers to how individuals view themselves, and especially how attractive they feel themselves to be. It goes beyond what we see in our mirrors and include our memories,
assumptions, and generalizations. Ideally, humans have made their beauty a paramount and social media, culture and society at large play a big role in how an individual sees their own body, but these set standards are not always true.
Regular bombardment by society may cause people with low body confidence to feel uncomfortable, and this may lead to stress, illness, and unhealthy social behaviors. This affects how we socialize with others, and how to view many aspects of our life.
The emotional attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions are greatly affected by your body image. These aspects can be positive or negative.
How to handle your body image
Feeling insecure about the way you look is a common experience, at some stage in life. It is good to understand that there are different kinds of beauty, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
If you are struggling with body confidence, here are some tips to improve on it:
Love yourself unconditionally and never try to compete or compare yourself to the many images you see around. Most of the celebrities we see are usually on makeup and their images have been digitally changed to make them appear perfect.
Explore different looks. If you really can’t seem to love yourself as you are right now, make a few positive changes. This could be as simple as getting a new haircut to visiting somewhere like a Vancouver Rhinoplasty clinic to get a rhinoplasty. A new wardrobe can also help you to love yourself – well-fitting clothes can turn you from drab to fab in no time!
Focus on your strength, the things you like about yourself.
Spare your time with positive people. People who make positive remarks about you build your confidence and improve your body image.
Do something for yourself to make you feel empowered about your body. You could, for example, arrange a New Orleans boudoir photo shoot for yourself. While you may feel nervous initially, the photographer will put you at ease and will know exactly what poses and angles to use to get beautiful images.
Positive Body Image
Individuals with a positive body image have a true and clear perception of who they are. They are generally happy and fulfilled and do not seek approval from third parties such as media, family, or suggestions from friends. They can clearly distinguish their appearance from their personality.
It’s always important to note that self-worth is not related to how we look and a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, and regular exercise can greatly build a positive body image. Attending a women’s wellness center can also help to boost body confidence, as you will be surrounded by like-minded women sharing their stories on how to be more body positive.
A Negative Body Image
Negative body image occurs when individuals feel that their appearance does not match society’s expectations. They end up feeling inadequate, ashamed, embarrassed, and lacking in confidence. Most experience awkwardness in their skin.
Their view of themselves is mostly unrealistic. when looking in the mirror, they can easily view their body in a distorted way, for example, a normal body mass woman may see herself as fat.
Where negative body image comes from
The people you hang around with are solely responsible for your negative body image. Your culture, family, and friends usually act as a channel in conveying the negative remarks that lowers your self-esteem.
Tv commercials, the fashion industry when they use underweight models for their products and age all impact the negative body image. Emotional insecurities also add to the self-sabotaging thoughts.
Whenever you feel uncomfortable about your body, it is good to be open about it. Find a close friend whom you can share comfortably to avoid keeping negative emotions to yourself.