Have you ever been in the situation where you ask questions like:
- Why do I gain weight easily when I eat so little?
- Why is she so slender although she is always eating?
- Why are my buttocks or breasts so big or small?
This questions often pop up when we are out mingling with friends or when we are in our closet sulking in our pity party because of body insecurities. Especially within the female circles, the plump ones would always ask this question. Funny enough, the slender ones are rather the ones who eat a lot and yet you can’t even see the plenty food translate into an ounce of fat on their body. This issue has caused a lot of depression and increased insecurities, especially because of society’s demands and standards. Apart from the afore mentioned factor, distorted body image is also a major factor.
Society’s demands and standards
Today’s society has painted a perfect picture of how one’s appearance (body and shape) should look like and therefore has caused many people to have self-doubt or insecurities. This has depreciated the self-confidence people have, hence, affecting their social life and mental health to an extent.
Distorted body image
Body image is the sum of one’s perceived and ideal body images.
An individual’s perceived body image is how they see themselves in their mind’s eye or the mental picture a person gets when imagining what they look like. A person’s body image may be realistic or far different from what others see. When an individual does not have a realistic view of themselves, it is termed as distorted body image.
A distorted body image is when an individual does not have an accurate view of themselves. The level of distortion is determined by the difference between reality and perception.
When a person’s realistic and desirable body images do not match, it is common for mental health issues such as eating disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders to develop. Several severe eating disorders are centered on body image issues.
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The way a person feels in their body and perceives their appearance can also have an effect on their physical health. A person who feels bad about their appearance or has received negative feedback about their appearance is less likely to feel comfortable exercising in public, seeking medical attention, or engaging in social activities.
Poor Knowledge of body somatotype
There is a science to it. We first of all have to understand that our bodies are different and unique. An understanding of our body nature and character will inform how we treat it for the results we want. We need to understand our body somatotype.
Somatotype simply refers to a classification of your body type. This was developed by an American psychologist called William Herbert Sheldon in the 1940s. Apart from the earlier mentioned issue of easy weight gain for some ladies, others might also be craving for that full curvaceous body of their friend. “She is heavily endowed and I can’t seem to fill my clothes with my slender and ‘straight’ body. I wish my boobs were bigger just a little, or my ass was a bit larger and rounder“. These are some thoughts and worries that run through the minds of other ladies.
Is it only associated with women?
Everybody has their insecurities because of their body type including men. Men also have their own body image which either boosts their morale or causes them to become insecure or displeased. Lanky men also wished they had broader chests and more muscles and guys with the muscles wished they had a lot more height.
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Dealing with body insecurities
The first step to dealing with all these insecurities is to begin to accept that your body is different and unique from your friends or everybody; and that your body has different nature and character from other people’s body. You can never be like them and they can never be like you in terms of physical appearance.
POV: Don’t worry so much about your belly fat or height. A lot of people aren’t really bothered about that. Actually, many many guys find a little chub on the belly to be cute. Some ladies also find lanky men quite attractive. There is a lot of science and experiments to back this claim. I will prove it to you as we unfold this series.
to be continued…
BY: King Mawuli
