True Reflections on Body Image
January 2003 — When you look in the mirror, do you like what you see? How you judge your appearance is called your body image, and a healthy body image is an important step to happiness.
"If you're going to lead a balanced life, you have to come to some acceptance of your body," says Gina Harris, PhD, psychologist on the medical staff at Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Hospital Pembroke. "Our culture perpetuates an image of low weight as ideal, and we compare ourselves to this standard. But measuring your self-worth only by your weight or appearance is not healthy."
In addition to society's expectations, factors that shape a person's body image include:
- Personal perception
- Statements and judgments (spoken or unspoken) from others
- Illnesses, disabilities and other physical conditions
- Physical changes during pregnancy, puberty and menopause
- Criticism based on age, gender, race or mannerisms
Reflecting an Image
Body image begins to form early. By age 1, we recognize emotions and as toddlers, we develop an awareness of the body and a sense of gender. We continue to construct a body image during childhood, and it is reinforced during puberty, adolescence and adulthood.
"During puberty, you are growing and changing, and that is the time that cements the negative attitudes of childhood," Dr. Harris says. "We are also influenced as adults; if we weren't, we wouldn't have so many people on so many different diets."
The popularity of diet programs is one indication that many people are unhappy with their body image. And as the population continues to get heavier, the issue is likely to become more prominent. An estimated 54 million American adults are obese (defined as 30 pounds or more over a healthy weight), and the number of overweight children and teenagers is at an all-time high — and growing.
Obesity contributes to a variety of health problems, and the person who wants to lose weight for health reasons should be encouraged. But judging a person's worth — or judging one's self-worth — based on size or weight is detrimental.
"Unfortunately, weight often becomes the defining characteristic of an obese person," Dr. Harris says. "It doesn't matter if that person is intelligent, talented, accomplished — obesity is the way he or she is measured first. It's the 'Scarlet Letter,' except the letter now is 'O.'"
Changing Times
There is evidence that Americans are beginning to accept more body types. Clothing stores stock a wider variety of sizes, several magazines are dedicated to affirming the beauty of a full figure and more average-sized women model clothes in catalogs.
"A subtle but powerful shift is occurring," Dr. Harris says. "People of all sizes are successful, they want to look good and they want to be treated with respect. This shows that people — no matter what their body type — are becoming more comfortable with their body image."