Look in the Mirror, What Do You See?

Your body image is important to who you are and how you live

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Hailey Tanem, Staff Writer

According to CBS News, 97% of women have a negative body image. Ninety-seven percent of those women say they have at least one negative body thoughts every day. A survey was conducted by a magazine Glamour to confirm this. 

A healthy body image means someone is comfortable in your body and feeling confident with the way you look. This includes how you judge your self-worth, the way you look, height, weight and behavior based on a result of thoughts or feelings. With negative body images come the risk of developing mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. 

Women who have a healthy body image are more likely to be in good physical and mental health. According to Women’s Health, researchers believe a negative body image may be the reason why more women than men have depression. One of the symptoms of negative body image is not wanting to be around others and obsessing about how much they eat and exercise. 

Women’s Health states girls and women are more likely to have a negative body image. This may be because the United States pressures women to become unrealistically “culturally beautiful.” Due to the pressure, this has lead to low self-esteem of many women. 

Not only that, but they have discovered white girls and young women are more likely to develop a negative body image. Unfortunately, children of parents who diet are more likely to develop a negative body image, too. 

Women focus on their body image because the media seems to focus on only young, beautiful, and thin women. Often enough, the images women see on the media are edited using technology. Unfortunately, women try to reach the beauty of someone that truly doesn’t exist. 

According to Women’s Health, media isn’t the only reason women struggle with their body image. Women’s Health also said being bullied or teased, being told you’re ugly or too fat, and having anorexia or obesity are all reasons to be considered. In some cases, women develop BDD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It is a serious illness in which a person obsesses over minor or imaginary flaws. 

Research shows if you’re obese, your body image may improve if you join a weight loss program. If you’re underweight, Women’s Health encourages you to see a doctor to discuss methods to gain weight. 

Women’s Health suggests to think positive thoughts about your body image. The fewer negative thoughts you have, the better you’ll feel about who you are and how you look. According to Women’s Health, working on accepting how you look is healthier than obsessing over trying to change. Whether you’re a man or woman, you deserve to love yourself unconditionally. Seek the help you need to gain your confidence