Body Image

What is body image?

Body image is how we think and feel about our bodies, how we look, and how we believe others see us.  A lot of us have some things about how our face or body look that we don’t like. Body confidence is something most of us could do with a bit more of! The way someone talks about their body and feels their body looks might be very different to how it actually looks to you.

Body image is not just about a person’s weight, it can also include:

• Comparing how a person looks compared to other people
• Not feeling able to love or accept how they look
• Not seeing people who look like them accepted in the media
• Hiding their body because they feel ashamed of it
• Struggling to find clothes they feel comfortable in
• Feeling misunderstood about their body
• Feeling like they are not attractive
• Worrying about things like birthmarks, scars or acne
• Feeling like their body does not match their true self

(Video – BBC 3, body image  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBEpOOlhNVQ&t=1s )

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a condition in which someone becomes very focused on a part of their appearance that they don’t like. It might be their nose, their hair, or the shape of their face.  It might be redness that they can see on their skin, or spots. To them, the flaw in how they look seems obvious, and they might have ideas that they are ugly, or that other people won’t want to spend time with them.  It can leave them feeling anxious, down, and alone. Usually other people don’t see the ‘flaw’ as being nearly as bad as the person with BDD does. You might even struggle to see it at all.  Common symptoms of BDD include avoiding mirrors or checking your appearance in mirrors very often; trying to hide the part of your appearance that you don’t like with clothes or make up; and comparing how you look to other people. If you think that someone you know might have BDD, encourage them talk to you about it, and to reach out for help from a mental health professional.

Top tops to support someone you know who is struggling with their body image:

• Compliment them for things other than how they look
• Do things together that don’t involve weight loss, comparing how them to someone else, or criticism
• Encourage them to think critically about images of people in the media and on social media; these are often digitally altered to appear perfect
• Let them know you are there for them if they would like to talk about it
• Encourage them to only follow people on social media who make them feel good, and talk about body confidence
• Support them to do things that are kind to their body, like exercising, taking a bath, buying a new piece of clothing in the right size, or using body lotion
• Focus on what it feels like to be healthy, rather than what it looks Encourage healthy food choices, and emphasize the role of food as fuel

If you think that how someone feels about their body is making them feel anxious or low, encourage them to talk to their GP about how they are feeling.  They can listen, tell them about local services and support groups, or they may suggest specific treatment for the way they are feeling.