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Body Image

We all look in the mirror and see different things. Some see a parade of imperfections,

others are not so critical. No matter how you look, some piece of you wishes it was otherwise.

That struggle with body image is increasingly more common as the media portray increasingly

unnatural states of physical perfection. A lot of us have a complicated relationship with our body

image. Sometimes we even hate it. We want to be a different shape or a different size. We'd like

to eat more healthily, exercise more, and go on a diet. Our body image can feel like one of our

biggest issues. Body image is an important topic for anyone who is concerned with how he or

she appears to others. For people who spend a lot of time in front of other people, such as

models, entertainers, athletes, politicians and performers, the need to constantly monitor one's

appearance can be overwhelming. Today's media driven society can put tremendous pressure on

individuals to not only look the part but also appear to be constantly at the pinnacle of health. In

this essay I am going to discuss the experience of body image.

What exactly is body image? To me body image is the perception of one's own physical

appearance. It is also how we react to that perception. Our body image can be a positive or

negative thing, depending on what we perceive about ourselves, and how we react to it. Body

image is mostly about feeling happy with your physical appearance, which includes how you

look, the clothing you wear, and your general demeanor, especially when in public. The first

reason why body image can be so hard is because we all compare ourselves to each other. This
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means that one person's beauty will only stand out if others suffer in comparison, and all of us

know it. That comparison becomes the standards, and beauty standards are always cruel. It's not

just young girls who have body image issues. Every woman and man has problems with the way

they look, even women and men with what’s considered “great figures”. When people are asked

what they think the hardest thing about being a woman is, most say 'body image.' Women are

under pressure to look a certain way, which is often attainable only by denying their own natures.

It's hard not to feel bad about yourself when you can't fit into an ideal that was invented by men

with no regard for the female body. Not all men struggle with body image like women do, but the

truth is that virtually every man has an uneasy relationship with their appearance. Body image

issue is something that needs to be discussed more in men's communities because our culture

treats appearance as a taboo topic, men usually just don't discuss it among themselves. It's not

always easy growing up as a man in the modern world. Boys and men in our society are

inundated with negative messages about their bodies and given almost no positive ones in

response.

Considering all the facts and everything that I stated above, struggling with body image is

a universal experience. Everyone struggles with their body image. Even people you think of as

'perfect,' in the media. They're not immune to dreaming about an idealized version of themselves,

and frequently fall short in comparison. Body image is so crucial to the way you feel about

yourself that it actually defines your sense of self-worth. Body image is a sensitive subject. It's

sensitive partly because body image is something that affects the way we behave. There are

thoughts of our bodies which cause us to act one way, and thoughts of our bodies which cause us
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to act differently. What makes body image a sensitive topic is the deep connection between the

way people look, their self-concept, and their behavior.