Realistic Body Image
Do You Have A Realistic Body Image?
It is true that many of us today have a genuine need to lose
weight, it is also a fact that there are many more women on
diets than really need to be. Most of the women have a tendency
to see themselves as fat even if they aren’t.
Unfortunately, this is affecting both women and young girls.
And it is pretty common even to girls as young are ten or
eleven, to be going on diets and expressing dissatisfaction
with their bodies. This is setting them up for a lifetime
of hating their own body and occasionally becomes deadly.
Nowadays, all of us have had heard of eating disorders such
as anorexia and bulimia. These disorders are often caused
by psychological conditions rather than unrealistic body image
and our weight conscious culture. Most of the victims of eating
disorders suffer from an unrealistic body image or body dysmorphic
disorder, which means they tend to see their bodies as different
from how they actually are. In most cases, girls and women
suffering from anorexia and bulimia see their bodies as larger
than they actually are. These women usually ‘see’
themselves bigger than what they actually are.
Body dysmorphic disorder is a different but related problem.
With body dysmorphic disorder, people often feel as though
parts of their bodies are much larger in proportion to the
rest than they actually are. A woman might be so pre-occupied
with the size of her thighs, keep feeling that they are huge,
though in fact their size is quite normal and in proportion
to the rest of the woman’s body.
Why do some young women are more prone to develop these disorders?
There are a few answers to this question. But, one thing is,
there are often deep seated psychological reasons. Let’s
say, if a woman is depressed, or has been abused, or just
doesn’t feel good about herself, she is more likely
to focus on her body as a target for self-hate. On the other
hand, some of these disorders can be the result of depression
or even borderline personality.
Besides, there are many media critics which claim that the
images we see in the media play a very central role in young
women’s body image problems. Think about it, the average
American woman today is a size 12 or 14 while the average
model is a size 0 or 2. This is a large difference between
an average woman’s body, even the body of a healthy
woman, with little or no excess weight to lose and a model’s
body. Although there are some plus-size models today, but
they are just a small group of models. The most beautiful
women in our society and the most admired and acclaimed are
not built like women at all. Most of us were a size 2 when
we were 12 or 13 years old, and never again. So, if we compared
ourselves to what we see in the magazines, we may well be
overweight, even if our weight actually falls within normal
parameters.
Therefore, we need to have a more realistic model picture
as our model. By doing so, we can simply go to a pool or gym
changing room, and have a look at real women’s body.
From there, you can see a great range of body types and don’t
be too surprised to see that the women who look the best in
their clothes don’t always look so good naked, especially
when they are too bony!
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