What are the Causes of Body Image Problems?
I spent most of my life struggling with body image issues, countless diets and worries about weight.
If you are concerned about your body image, here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. Is my perception of beauty distorted from years of media exposure that glorifies a very thin ideal that is unrealistic for most people to obtain in a healthy manner?
2. Do I find myself regularly criticizing my own appearance?
1. appearance or weight-related teasing or bullying in childhood
2. family and friends who diet and express body dissatisfaction
3. a cultural tendency to judge people by their appearance
4. peer pressure among girls and women to be slim, engage with diets, exercise and compare themselves with others
5. media and advertising images that promote particular appearance ideals
6. people who internalize society’s appearance or body ideals
7. a tendency in media targeting women and girls to encourage diets and weight loss programs
8. well-meaning public health campaigns that urge people to lose weight
9. being a perfectionist, where rigid ‘black and white’ thinking can increase the risk of body dissatisfaction.
A negative body image increases the risk of engaging in unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, such as dieting or restrictive eating, over-exercising and other disordered eating or weight control behaviours.
Dieting is a significant risk factor for developing an eating disorder. Research shows that even ‘moderate’ dieting increases the risk of developing an eating disorder in teenage girls. While dieting is normalised in society, it is not normal or healthy, and can lead to serious physical health complications. Dieting is also not effective in the longer term, with many people who lose weight from dieting regaining the weight over time. Ultimately, dieting is not effective or sustainable and can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and eating.
Body image can also impact a person’s engagement with physical activity. Feeling self-conscious or uncomfortable with appearance, body size or shape can lead to women and girls reducing or avoiding physical activity engagement. This could be associated with the feeling that being active or engaging in particular activities exposes their body to the public eye.
If you feel dissatisfied or unhappy with your body, that your body image gets in the way of being able to live your life and do the things you would like to, or you are engaging in restrictive eating or other unhealthy eating or exercise behaviours, then seeking professional help is important.
Psychologists, dietitians and other health professionals trained in body image and eating disorders can assist you to improve your body image and relationship with food and physical activity.
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