Body image refers to the way people think and feel about their body. People with a healthy body image may evaluate their body in positive terms and feel good about their physical attributes (qualities). People who struggle with body image tend to think negative thoughts about their body. They might also feel ashamed of their body.
Some researchers believe that, in addition to thoughts and feelings, investment is an important component of body image. Investment refers to the effort that people devote to their appearance. People who are highly invested in their body image do many things to try to manage or improve their appearance.
Most people have an idea of what the “ideal” body should look like. Poor body image may result from believing that one’s own body differs noticeably from that ideal. In many cultures, people emphasize thinness as an important part of the ideal body, especially for women. For men, the ideal body tends to be muscular. On average, girls and women tend to be more dissatisfied with their body than are boys and men. However, anyone can struggle with body image.
By age seven, children usually have a sense of their own body image. They either believe their body is attractive, or they believe it is not. Around this same age, children with poor body image may start to think about changing their body through diet or exercise. Adolescents who are dissatisfied with their body are at higher risk for developing depression and such eating disorders as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Researchers have identified three main influences on the development of body image: (1) parents, (2) peers, and (3) media. Parents can encourage a positive body image in their children by avoiding talking about weight and appearance. Instead, parents should model healthful food choices and encourage children to exercise for fun, rather than to lose weight. Peers can have a negative influence on body image if they obsess over dieting or working out, or if they focus excessively on their own physical appearance or that of others.
Many types of media can have a negative impact on body image. People presented in the media tend to be extremely attractive and to represent the ideal body. In addition, images are often manipulated to create an unrealistically attractive body. It is common for people to compare themselves to images they see in the media. This comparison can leave them feeling worse about their own body. Body image can be harmed by magazines, websites, motion pictures, and television programs that focus on appearance. Researchers suggests that social media can also have a negative influence on body image, particularly when it involves taking, posting, and commenting on photographs of oneself or other people.
Body image can be improved by concentrating on what the body can do, instead of what it looks like. Exercise often makes a person feel better, which also improves body image. Researchers have found that learning to recognize and reject unhealthy media messages can help to protect body image. People can also build a more positive body image by practicing self-compassion. Self-compassion involves practicing feelings of kindness and acceptance toward one’s own body, even if it does not look exactly the way one wants.
