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 dysmorphia in the form of an off-the-charts disapproving obsession. In these cases, the mirror is more foe than friend. Body Dysmorphia: What It […]
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 aches and pains of age too. But, it wasn’t always that way. Babies are enthralled with their bodies. Oh my goodness! This […]
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 loss isn’t the kindness you think it is. But, wait, how can that be? Everyone likes the positive strokes of weight loss praise. Don’t […]
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? Chin? Neck? Cultivating love for your own body is easier said than done and takes more than cliché affirmations […]
3 Reasons So Many People Strongly Link Their Body Image And Self-Worth
Of all the “self-qualities” in one’s life portfolio, self-worth is the one that should be the unconditional foundation to all the others. Do you believe you’re a good person, deserving of respect? Do you tether yourself to life by inherent worth that worldly whims and expectations can’t strangle or sever? “Of course,” you may say. […]
Social Media Affecting Your Body Image? Take These 5 Positive Steps
Be honest. Is social media affecting your body image? Do you find yourself masking your true feelings behind a heart emoji? Pretending your peripheral vision doesn’t catch a comparative glance at the red-carpet and beach bodies vying for your eye-time? Unless you live in a bunker, the answer is probably yes. Social media has rapidly […]
Are Body Positive Images Really Helpful For People With Body Image Issues?
Corsets, bikinis, skinny jeans, stilettos. Every culture has its version of the contrived ideal body and the clothes that should fit it. We all buy into it because it’s pumped into the very air we breathe, trying as we may to hold our breath in protest. Inclusive advertising, body positive images, anti-bullying campaigns — what, […]
The Latest Findings In Body Image Research & How They Can Help You Fall In Love With Your Body
Times change. People change. Bodies change. But interestingly, findings from body image research haven’t changed much in the past 30 years. Sadly, the common thread of impossible beauty standards still stitches its way through the world’s many cultures. And people still struggle to like, let alone love, what they see in the mirror. In the […]
Take this Body Image Questionnaire and Discover How You Can Love Your Body More
What does Albert Einstein have to do with body image? Perhaps not so much in the direct sense. But, as one revered for his astronomical mind and theories, he favored insatiable curiosity and great questions over the presumption of absolutes. A body image questionnaire, then, if composed of key questions, could lead the open-minded, curious […]
What Exactly Is Body Image Dysmorphia? (And What Can You Do About It?)
There’s one relationship you can’t escape, and that is the one you have with yourself. And that relationship extends to what you see in the mirror and how you perceive and respond to it. Most of us see things we would like to change. But, for some people, those little wishes or cues for a […]