How Does College Affect Body Image?
It’s one of life’s most momentous rites of passage. Every August young adults shed their status in high school and enthusiastically assume a new role as college freshmen (aka "first-years")....
Is Body Acceptance for Midlife Women Possible?
Naked. Raw. Alone. Unencumbered, unpretentious, unadorned. Stand this way in front of a full-length mirror, take and release a deep breath, and observe. Observe your thoughts as you observe your...
Barbie Doll Syndrome and Body Image: Can A Doll From 1959 Really Affect Body Image in 2023?
She’s long, lean, and smothered in pink. Her hair is beauty-pageant lush, her plastic breasts are firmly attentive, and her non-bunioned feet are always on tiptoe. And she has it all – careers,...
Yes, No, Maybe? Ambivalence In Eating Disorder Recovery
The awareness of – and struggle over – what can be both gained and lost is at the heart of this growth. It requires stretching, accepting, even grieving. An eating disorder can develop for many...
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) And Disordered Eating: 10 Things They Have In Common
While nearly everyone has heard of eating disorders, not everyone has heard of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and disordered eating, let alone the 10 things they have in common. Are these all...
Catching The Mirror In A Lie: 25 Signs Of Body Dysmorphia
Call them what you want: asymmetries, beauty marks, battle scars, flaws. We all have them. The mirror reveals them, and we interpret them. And, for some, that interpretation reveals signs of body...
Aging Gracefully: Nurturing a Healthy Body Image
Where on the timeline of growing up do body image and aging become a focus? As an adult reading this, you’re probably hard-pressed to remember when you weren’t bemoaning unwanted pounds. And the...
Why You Shouldn’t Praise Weight Loss
“You’ve lost weight!” “You look fantastic!” “Wow, you’re so skinny now!” “How did you do it?” You pour on what you’re convinced are the ultimate compliments, never considering that praising weight...
The 8 Most Beautiful & Inspiring Poems About Body Image
I want to talk to the body-haters out there. Look in the mirror, then fill in the blank: "I hate my....." What body part du jour grabbed your disapproval this time? Your thighs? Hips? Stomach? Butt?...