There are a LOT of misconceptions about body image, and this complex concept is often oversimplified and misrepresented online. So what exactly is body image, and why is it important for our young people?
Body image refers to the thoughts and feelings that people have about their bodies, and the behaviours they engage in as a result. Many people often confuse body image with how they actually look, but it’s not about your physical appearance—it’s about how you think and feel about the way you perceive yourself.
A lot of people refer to the work that we do as ‘body positivity’, which most people think means ‘thinking positively about your body’. Although social media might make body positivity appear to be a relatively new concept all about radical self love, the origins of body positivity are more political, and date back to the fat acceptance movement in the 1960s.
How does body image impact mental health?
According to the Global Health and Wellbeing Survey, 75% of 16-25 year olds are experiencing body image distress. Young people who are dissatisfied with their bodies are 24 times more likely to develop depression, and body image is also one of the strongest predictors of eating disorder development, which is associated with self harm and suicide. In contrast, people who appreciate their bodies are more likely to look after them—to engage in physical activity, eat fruit and vegetables and use alcohol and other drugs less.
This means that building better body image from the beginning has the power to minimise lifetime risk of issues like eating disorders, depression and anxiety—and help young people achieve optimal health and wellbeing.
Is body image something that only girls struggle with?
Many people associate body image with teenage girls, or think that this is something that is only about women and weight, but actually, everyone has thoughts and feelings about the way they look—so body image affects everyone. However, body image concerns and eating disorders disproportionately impact girls and women, and hold them back from achieving in work, school and life.
Our multi-layered approach involves delivering programs to all young people in order to create the most change for girls and women, as guided by research, theory and evidence. On a practical level, we found that our programs are more likely to be implemented when they are inclusive of all genders. More importantly, the science tells us that we can’t just make girls feel better about themselves—we have to influence the peer environments that affect the way they feel about themselves. Boys tend to tease girls about their appearance more than girls tease girls.
→ When we stop girls being criticised, they can stop being critical of themselves.
→ When we stop girls being objectified, they can stop objectifying themselves.
→ When we stop valuing girls based on appearance, they can take on the world.
Ok, so how do we embrace our bodies?
There are some key mindset shifts that all people in all bodies can adopt to improve their body image:
- Respect for all bodies: Remember that every body is worthy of love and respect. There are so many different types of people, looks and bodies–it’s these differences that make our world an exciting place to be. No matter what we look like, we fit in, we are accepted and we belong.
- Focus on what we can do with our body, not what it looks like: Our bodies are amazing–they help us to move, be creative, experience the world and interact with others. If you are ever focusing on something that you don’t like about the way your body looks, try reframing it to appreciate what that body part does for you, and why that is important to you. For example, instead of hating your stomach, you might reframe it to appreciate that your stomach protects your internal organs. We can trust that our bodies should grow and change over time.
- Be kind to yourself (and others): Being kinder to yourself, and turning down that critical inner voice can be helpful for mental health—whether it’s about your body, a mistake you made or something that you said. Instead of being hard on yourself, take a moment to consider how you would speak to a friend. What would you say to them if this situation happened to them instead of you? Once we are practicing being kinder and less judgemental of ourselves, we can also practice being kinder and less judgemental of others, too.
- Find real role models: Social media is here to stay, but it can make you feel pretty bad about yourself if all you are seeing are endless ‘perfect’ bodies, and lots of beauty content. You have the power to boss that algorithm into giving you more of what feels good to you, so use it! Take a moment to curate your content—block, unfollow and report any ads or accounts that make you feel bad about yourself. While you are at it, follow a few things that are not body-related—seek out content from people (or pets!) who inspire you and that you admire, because of what they are doing and who they are being, rather than what they look like.
But won’t building better body image be bad for you?
We get this question all the time: “But if I stop hating my body, won’t I become unhealthy?” Many people believe that they should feel bad about their bodies in order to motivate themselves to eat well and exercise. This misconception stems from the health and fitness industry’s long history of using body shame as a motivator to encourage healthy habits like engaging in physical activity and eating nutritious foods. While this approach might work in the short term—just long enough to get us to pay for their programs and services—it doesn’t foster lasting, positive change.
The latest science is showing that these approaches are not effective—they don’t work to achieve long-term behaviour change. The latest research suggests that people who feel shame and discrimination about their weight avoid physical activity and healthcare, and experience higher levels of psychological distress. Experiencing more positive body image and accepting our bodies is associated with maintaining a more stable weight over time and greater engagement in health behaviours, such as getting enough sleep, being physically active and eating nutritious foods. It can even encourage habits like wearing sunscreen and attending cancer screening appointments! Put simply, when people appreciate their bodies, they are more likely to engage in positive health behaviours. Research now shows that if we want people to be healthy, the key is to make it easier for them to engage in healthy behaviours—not make them feel bad about their weight.
Programs and resources that can help people embrace their bodies
Our organisation, The Embrace Collective, is an Australian health promotion charity on a mission to build better body image, in order to create a world where people are empowered to thrive, free from feelings of pressure, judgement and shame about their appearance.
We have resources and programs for educators and parents to help improve the body image and mental health of young people. You can browse our resources for families, schools and sports settings and join our mailing list to be the first to know about new programs and resources.
Want programs and resources for yourself or other adults? We have those too! Check out the Embrace You program for women, Embrace@Work program to transform workplace productivity and wellbeing, and the Feel Good Fashion program for fashion brands.
