Is a Positive Body Image Even Possible?
Yes, but the situation is a lot more nuanced than that.
Image description: A person with long, dark hair sitting on the edge of a dock looking at the mountains in the distance.
Feel like you’re constantly seeing a post about how you should “just love your body” and forget about what everyone else thinks? Me too. Feel like that message is so far from where you currently stand that it’s almost impossible to fathom and is inevitably followed by a deepening sense of existential dread?
Me too.
Here are 5 (more) concrete steps to take towards bettering your body image:
Develop self-compassion for unhealed parts of yourself that were told your body was not okay.
You all knew self-compassion would make an appearance here :) This is where good therapy shines! But in the meantime, check out Bri Campos’ resources on body grieving (and be prepared with a box of Kleenex)
Read more about how cultural beliefs about bodies and what makes a “good body” vs. a “bad body” have been passed down for generations and are rooted in racism, misogyny, and basically every other oppressive system out there.
Sabrina Strings’ book “Fearing the Black Body” is an amazing read for this, but I’ve also got this book in my always-growing Amazon cart. Feel like you need to ease yourself into this conversation? Pick up “Anti-Diet” by Christy Harrison right. now.
Reflect on the fact that in order to see our bodies differently, we will need to both individually but also systemically divest from the idea that there is a hierarchy of bodies. This means realizing that the reason you may have felt more positive about your body when you lived in a smaller body has everything to do with that hierarchy and nothing to do with any internal measure of worth or value. Your worth as a human being is a constant. More on this written by the incredible Sonya Renee Taylor in “The Body is Not an Apology”
Know that it’s OK to have negative thoughts about your body. It makes sense considering the cultural messages we’ve received.
Cultivating a better body image can only be achieved when we work towards shifting our views on our bodies to being “instruments, not ornaments.”
Get involved with social justice issues that push for equality and work to dismantle oppressive systems
Because, at the end of the day, body oppression for one is body oppression for all.
The best time to start towards making peace with your body & your relationship with food is today. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone. Schedule a discovery call today to learn more about my nutrition counseling services!
