How do you feel about your body? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see imperfections? Do you see strength? Do you feel appreciation? Do you feel shame? Do you feel frustration? Do you feel capable? That internal chatter and the tone you use when thinking or talking about your appearance (the positive and the negative) is all part of your body image. What is body image exactly? Read on to learn what it means to have a positive or negative body image, how body image affects your mental and physical health, and what you can do to improve your body image.
Body image is defined as “the mental picture one forms of one’s body as a whole, including its physical characteristics and one’s attitudes toward these characteristics.” [ 1 ]
It’s how you see yourself, how you feel about your body and its shape, and how you physically feel in your body. [ 2 ]
And data suggests that living through a global pandemic has not been helpful for people’s body image overall. One survey conducted in the United Kingdom found that social distancing and lockdown measures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic increased poor eating habits and body dissatisfaction. Women were more likely than men to report struggling with eating and worsening body image; and nearly 50 percent of those surveyed reported being more concerned about the way they looked. [ 3 ]
“Body image is the way we view ourselves physically — the way we internally and externally talk about ourselves based on how we look, the reflection we see in the mirror,” says Jessica Cortez, RD, a dietitian with Connections Wellness Group in Denton, Texas, who specializes in eating disorders and body image. She adds: “Are we neutral, kind, or mean to ourselves? Do we find ourselves being critical or neutral about the observations we make about our body and appearance? Do we find ourselves making strong judgments about our body that leave us feeling unworthy, less than, or undeserving?” How we answer those questions is all part of our body image. RELATED: Speaking Body Image: A Glossary of Terms We Use to Describe How We See Our Bodies
Yes, the body positivity movement — which is about loving your body and having a positive outlook no matter your shape or size — is related to body image. Body positivity means having a healthy body image regardless of what you look like. [ 4 ]
When the body positivity movement started is less clear-cut. Some trace its roots to the 1960s, when the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (then named the National Association to Aid Fat Americans) was formed to advocate for fat acceptance. [ 5 ]
The term “body positivity,” however, is more often traced back to the mid-1990s and the creation of the Body Positive, a nonprofit with the goal of ending “the harmful consequences of negative body image.” [ 6 ]
It was originally an effort started by fat activists to center and liberate marginalized bodies from oppressive forces such as fat phobia, racism, and ableism, says Samantha DeCaro, PsyD, the director of clinical outreach and education with the Renfrew Center in Philadelphia, a residential eating disorder treatment facility. “The movement was designed to challenge the conventional definitions of health and beauty.”
Body neutrality is a different concept. “It encourages taking a neutral approach to our bodies,” Dr. DeCaro says. “The term reminds us that we do not have to love our body to respect it, to nourish it, listen to its cues, or to have gratitude for what it can do.” Embracing body neutrality rather than body positivity may be a more achievable goal for people with body image issues and those struggling with eating disorders. “It creates the space to cultivate an authentic identity that focuses less on the physical self and more on our core values,” DeCaro says.
