What Does It Mean to Have A Healthy Body Image?
This post originally appeared on Food for Thought.
Back in July, I read an article featuring actress Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of actor Will Smith, in which she expressed some of her thoughts and feelings about the importance of having a healthy body image. She emphasized how important it is for women to celebrate and love our bodies. In the interview, she discussed the magazine cover shoot she did for Essence in which she appeared wearing nothing. She said that she did this because she wanted to be an example for younger women, especially her daughter, to demonstrate what it looks like to have a healthy body image and to love and accept our bodies.
This raised a question for me- Since when is celebrating your body and feeling good about it equivalent to being nude on the cover of a magazine? This idea wasn’t the first time I have noticed this implicit conclusion that is often drawn about the degree to which we physically expose ourselves and how much we accept our bodies. The whole idea makes zero sense to me. There are a lots of ways to love our bodies and model positive body image to young women, daughters!!, and ourselves, outside of what we wear. Having a healthy body image is a state of mind, not just what we put on (or don’t put on) when we wake up in the morning. Just because you may not want to get naked on the cover of a magazine (or wear certain kinds of clothing, certain bathing suit styles, etc..) does not mean that you don’t love or accept your body!
So what does having healthy body image really look like? As women, we are often hyper critical of our bodies and we may not always feel comfortable baring skin in certain outfits or in skimpy bathing suits. But some of us do!! Sometimes that has to do with our body image, but sometimes it doesn’t! So what does it really mean to have a healthy body image? I think that healthy body image means that you can accept yourself and your body for what it is, and that you are able to acknowledge the beauty that exists inside and out. Just because you may wake up one morning not feeling so hot does not mean that you can’t still accept your body and appreciate all that it does for you.. It can be a challenge some days but practicing healthy body image can go a long way! How we think about ourselves impacts how we feel, and how we feel often impacts how we behave and act. So how do we work on improving our body image??
Here is a short list of ideas that help promote healthy body image:
1. Focus on what your body does for you, rather than what size you wear or what the scale says.
2. Don’t let your body hold you back from engaging in activities or participating in social activities that you might otherwise participate in. If how you feel about your body is interfering with these things, you probably don’t accept your body!
3. Be discriminating with what you are looking at (media images, TV, magazines, etc) and what you are reading. It is important to think and observe critically so that you know what is realistic and what is not. Real bodies are what make women beautiful! You don’t really see that much in the media!
Would love to hear your thoughts on body image! Any other ideas about how we as women can encourage each other in accepting our bodies?
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
What is important is how our body feels – exercise makes the mind sharper and the muscles feel good. We think better and walk with a “spring” in our step.
iam in seventh grade and my wieght is 164 i hate this fact and tell myself every day that i know i can do better…. but fail horribly to do anything about it… but after reading ur entry…i feel betterabout myself
thanks
Hi Kalee!
Try to just make ONE positive healthy decision everyday. Just one! It doesn’t have to be about food or exercise, either. It could be choosing to have a positive mindset when you feel yourself beginning to think negatively about yourself. Or it could be something small, like choosing an apple over potato chips or deciding to go for a walk after school instead of watching TV. You are beautiful the way you are, don’t feel badly about yourself! You are awesome.
I’m 5’7″ and in 9th grade and my weight is 194, this is well over my range for someone my age and height. I try reading these stories and I see some pictures of women who are actually very skinny and thin. This really saddens me because they really should love the fact that they are very skinny, but what about the rest of us who are actually overweight? What if those other things like being pretty smart or good at singing or having medals or achievements aren’t there. What I’m I supposed to feel good about then?
Medals and acheivements are external rewards, just like the pleasure of being ‘beautiful’ according to society’s standards.
I want you to know you are good enough because of the person you ARE, not because of what other people say.
i am 5’5 and i weigh around 155 pounds. I play soccer but even though im muscular and not really overweight i am really paranoid about my body. ( as in thighs and butt). people tell me many women would kill for a body like mine but i cant get past it. i feel like it attracts the wrong kind of attention and makes me look heavier. I dread shopping because it takes so long to find jeans that fit MY body right. And summer is a pain because i never find bathing suits that make ME feel comfortable… im not sure how to approach the problem because i work out almost every day and ive been told by family that its genetic..
I’m 5’1 and I used to weigh only 90 pounds. During that time, I was only eating one small meal a day. I’m not sure if it was because I was unhappy with the way I looked or what it was. I never thought i was fat…I was just uncomfortable. Now I’m 96 pounds…which isn’t much different…but its better. I’m an upcoming high school freshman, and a few months ago, one of my teachers from seventh grade saw me and her mouth dropped open. She said I looked like I was caving in. She was right. My stomach was sinking in. NOTHING i wore made me feel comfortable. I’m not sure how to feel better about being too skinny or too large. I was always the bigger than my two older sisters, but then I lost a lot of weight suddenly. I go back and forth with weight…sometimes i’ll be 100-105, and then six months later I would’ve lost ten or fifteen pounds. I don’t know how to deal with this problem.
Hi Sarah:
If you feel depressed and fear eating because you think it will make you gain weight, skip meals, and you can’t maintain a healthy weight for your size, you might have an issue with food. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have anorexia. Lots of people have ‘distorted eating’ that is just as serious. If your friends and teachers are concerned, you should ask for help. Can you talk to your teacher or a counselor at school? You deserve to feel strong and happy. I hope you have fun in marching band this year – stay strong!
i always thought i was too fat because all my friends are skinny and soo i went to hawaii with my aunt for a while to hide my self but while i was there my self confidence droped even lower because i was fat to every one soo i would skip meals or not eat. but operation beautiful has helped me!!
Hi Im 16 5’7 and I weigh 190 I hate my weight it makes me so depressed everyday I hate my body…
Hi Ciara:
Maybe you can talk to a doctor about how to get to a healthier weight? I am so sorry you are struggling.
a few days ago i read this artical. ever since then each time i looked in the mirro i would complemet myself. and if i thought something netative i would say something positive about whatever it was i dissed. now i noticed im more happy with the way i look. i used to think i was all fat and ugle, but now i see my beauty.
I’m just going to say this. Body image is body image. I gotta think more critically now.
She emphasized how important it is for women to celebrate and love our bodies. In the interview, she discussed the magazine cover shoot she did for Essence in which she appeared wearing nothing. She said that she did this because she wanted to be an example for younger women, especially her daughter, to demonstrate what it looks like to have a healthy body image and to love and accept our bodies.
This raised a question for me- Since when is celebrating your body and feeling good about it equivalent to being nude on the cover of a magazine? This idea wasn’t the first time I have noticed this implicit conclusion that is often drawn about the degree to which we physically expose ourselves and how much we accept our bodies. The whole idea makes zero sense to me. There are a lots of ways to love our bodies and model positive body image to young women, daughters!!, and ourselves, outside of what we wear. Having a healthy body image is a state of mind, not just what we put on (or don’t put on) when we wake up in the morning. Just because you may not want to get naked on the cover of a magazine (or wear certain kinds of clothing, certain bathing suit styles, etc..) does not mean that you don’t love or accept your body!
So what does having healthy body image really look like? As women, we are often hyper critical of our bodies and we may not always feel comfortable baring skin in certain outfits or in skimpy bathing suits. But some of us do!! Sometimes that has to do with our body image, but sometimes it doesn’t! So what does it really mean to have a healthy body image? I think that healthy body image means that you can accept yourself and your body for what it is, and that you are able to acknowledge the beauty that exists inside and out. Just because you may wake up one morning not feeling so hot does not mean that you can’t still accept your body and appreciate all that it does for you.. It can be a challenge some days but practicing healthy body image can go a long way! How we think about ourselves impacts how we feel, and how we feel often impacts how we behave and act. So how do we work on improving our body image??
Here is a short list of ideas that help promote healthy body image:
1. Focus on what your body does for you, rather than what size you wear or what the scale says.
2. Don’t let your body hold you back from engaging in activities or participating in social activities that you might otherwise participate in. If how you feel about your body is interfering with these things, you probably don’t accept your body!
3. Be discriminating with what you are looking at (media images, TV, magazines, etc) and what you are reading. It is important to think and observe critically so that you know what is realistic and what is not. Real bodies are what make women beautiful! You don’t really see that much in the media!
Would love to hear your thoughts on body image! Any other ideas about how we as women can encourage each other in accepting our bodies?
.{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Pam Savage February 18, 2011 at 5:55 pm
What is important is how our body feels – exercise makes the mind sharper and the muscles feel good. We think better and walk with a “spring” in our step.
Reply
. Kalee April 20, 2011 at 10:05 am
iam in seventh grade and my wieght is 164 i hate this fact and tell myself every day that i know i can do better…. but fail horribly to do anything about it… but after reading ur entry…i feel betterabout myself thanks
Reply
. Caitlin April 20, 2011 at 10:22 am
Hi Kalee!
Try to just make ONE positive healthy decision everyday. Just one! It doesn’t have to be about food or exercise, either. It could be choosing to have a positive mindset when you feel yourself beginning to think negatively about yourself. Or it could be something small, like choosing an apple over potato chips or deciding to go for a walk after school instead of watching TV. You are beautiful the way you are, don’t feel badly about yourself! You are awesome.
Reply
. Sam May 2, 2011 at 12:27 am
I’m 5’7? and in 9th grade and my weight is 194, this is well over my range for someone my age and height. I try reading these stories and I see some pictures of women who are actually very skinny and thin. This really saddens me because they really should love the fact that they are very skinny, but what about the rest of us who are actually overweight? What if those other things like being pretty smart or good at singing or having medals or achievements aren’t there. What I’m I supposed to feel good about then?
Reply
. Caitlin May 2, 2011 at 9:02 am
Medals and acheivements are external rewards, just like the pleasure of being ‘beautiful’ according to society’s standards.
I want you to know you are good enough because of the person you ARE, not because of what other people say.
Reply
. Raissa May 17, 2011 at 6:18 pm
i am 5’5 and i weigh around 155 pounds. I play soccer but even though im muscular and not really overweight i am really paranoid about my body. ( as in thighs and butt). people tell me many women would kill for a body like mine but i cant get past it. i feel like it attracts the wrong kind of attention and makes me look heavier. I dread shopping because it takes so long to find jeans that fit MY body right. And summer is a pain because i never find bathing suits that make ME feel comfortable… im not sure how to approach the problem because i work out almost every day and ive been told by family that its genetic..
Reply
. Sarah June 24, 2011 at 10:26 pm
I’m 5’1 and I used to weigh only 90 pounds. During that time, I was only eating one small meal a day. I’m not sure if it was because I was unhappy with the way I looked or what it was. I never thought i was fat…I was just uncomfortable. Now I’m 96 pounds…which isn’t much different…but its better. I’m an upcoming high school freshman, and a few months ago, one of my teachers from seventh grade saw me and her mouth dropped open. She said I looked like I was caving in. She was right. My stomach was sinking in. NOTHING i wore made me feel comfortable. I’m not sure how to feel better about being too skinny or too large. I was always the bigger than my two older sisters, but then I lost a lot of weight suddenly. I go back and forth with weight…sometimes i’ll be 100-105, and then six months later I would’ve lost ten or fifteen pounds. I don’t know how to deal with this problem.
Reply
. Caitlin June 26, 2011 at 11:28 am
Hi Sarah:
If you feel depressed and fear eating because you think it will make you gain weight, skip meals, and you can’t maintain a healthy weight for your size, you might have an issue with food. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have anorexia. Lots of people have ‘distorted eating’ that is just as serious. If your friends and teachers are concerned, you should ask for help. Can you talk to your teacher or a counselor at school? You deserve to feel strong and happy. I hope you have fun in marching band this year – stay strong!
Reply
. shanda June 29, 2011 at 4:12 pm
i always thought i was too fat because all my friends are skinny and soo i went to hawaii with my aunt for a while to hide my self but while i was there my self confidence droped even lower because i was fat to every one soo i would skip meals or not eat. but operation beautiful has helped me!!
Reply
. Ciara July 3, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Hi Im 16 5’7 and I weigh 190 I hate my weight it makes me so depressed everyday I hate my body…
Reply
. Caitlin July 6, 2011 at 11:35 am
Hi Ciara:
Maybe you can talk to a doctor about how to get to a healthier weight? I am so sorry you are struggling.
Reply
. erica July 3, 2011 at 11:38 pm
a few days ago i read this artical. ever since then each time i looked in the mirro i would complemet myself. and if i thought something netative i would say something positive about whatever it was i dissed. now i noticed im more happy with the way i look. i used to think i was all fat and ugle, but now i see my beauty.
Reply
. Aisusutumu August 5, 2011 at 3:31 pm
I’m just going to say this. Body image is body image. I gotta think more critically now.
Reply
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Hi I am 5″1 and I weight 192 Lbs. Trully I know I am heavy but I Love myself, after realized that everyone wants to have big chest, curves and a nice booty I think we are good there is no need for me to hate myself and we need to think about it. Aswk yourself, what do you have that make you special?? There is something maybe your eyes, delicate face , gorgeous hair, personality, tec. We have to love ourself if we don’t nobody will.
Hi I’m almost 14. I always thought of my self as low and not pretty. I always weighed more than my sisters, it is still hard for me. Even thought I know I’m healthy at 5’3 and 105 my older sister is 18 and makes me feel big. Shes always getting compliments about how shes so skinny. I feel depressed, my sisters used to criticize me being the heaviest. Now they call me names like anorexic because I dont have cake at a party. It has token a toll on me. When I came into high school I had such low confidence and it makes me depressed that I let people see me a that.
Hey Alexis, I know exactly how you feel. I’m 14, and I weigh a lot more than my sister, who is basically supermodel-skinny (and she knows it!). She often discourages me by hinting that my thigh is getting fatter and saying I’m not as pretty as she is. For a while I barely ate, and made up excuses to my parents and friends like ‘I’m going out for dinner’ when I would just not eat at all, because I felt like I was too fat. But then I discovered Operation Beautiful, and I am still preparing with one of my insecure friends to take an oath that says things like we should enjoy ourselves but not go overboard, exercise regularly to keep fit instead of starving ourselves, and never point out your flaws! It’s hard but we’re on our way, and so are lots of girls around the world. Leave the rude comments behind and be your own beautiful self!