Body Image

44% of woman express negative feelings about both individual body parts and their bodies as a whole - Monteath & McCabe

When someone over eats, do you think they are using weight to block closeness and relationships? In my experience there is something somewhere inside the self which is frightened of anyone seeing the real person.

Finish the following statement:

• If you really knew me, you would see that I am... bad, sad, angry, jealous or lovable, warm etc. What would you say about yourself?

Being overweight perpetuates the notion of the self as not good enough.Feelings of shame are hidden along with poor self worth. All this is a vicious cycle of self hate, confusion, guilt and self disgust. However, saying all of that, food helps the individual to cope with some of these feelings, whilst at the same time maintaining them. There is a longing to be loved whilst making themselves, in their own eyes unlovable.

Many people who use food to self harm all too often require validation from others, but use food to overcome that need for affection and recognition.

Eating gives a short respite from self disgust and yet the lack of self discipline reinforces it. In turn this becomes the individual's own internalized self image which is the body image. If we view ourselves badly, then of course we are considering ourselves as unattractive to others in some way. However, this is linked to how well we perceive ourselves as a whole. If we have low self esteem then this will be a part of the whole image. In the main, a person who has a strong sense of self worth is more likely to accept their body as it is.

Being overweight is a continuation of self loathing. Generally this is something that lies just beneath conscious awareness; rarely will you hear it spoken out loud. This is part of the cycle of self deprecation.

It is true to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what is attractive to one person may be less so to another. How we see ourselves will be distinctly related to our own self worth and self esteem. If we improve how we feel about ourselves then our body image will improve.

• Do you love your body?
• Are you tender and caring of yourself?
• Are you proud of the way you look?
• What has influenced you in the way you view yourself?