Negative Body Image: Starving for Perfection

By Samiha Mithi on June 27, 2016

Many of us constantly worry about how we look, whether it’s our nose, our lips, but most of all, our bodies. Society’s standards of beauty could contribute to the hatred of your body. A person is constantly striving for perfection but will never be satisfied with their results. This is what negative body image is — a dissatisfaction with your body, in which you pick out body parts that you perceive to be unattractive.

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Can the media be responsible for negative body image?

I would say that is a contributing factor. There are music videos which feature women with flat stomachs, and curvaceous bodies. There are magazines which also feature an attractive, size 0 model. Every day, men and women are pressured to have “perfect bodies” such as being a size 0, or having abs or a six-pack, flat stomach, etc. Another ideal body for a woman would be to have curves. The perfect body is either to be skinny or curvy, and nothing in between. This is the norm, what society perceives as attractive and beautiful.

Eating disorders

Both men and women suffer from the societal pressures of body image. Some even develop eating disorders in the process. The different types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and other variations. Some can even suffer from all three. People with these eating disorders have negative body image; they are unpleased with their bodies and take drastic measures to perfect their bodies.

Someone with anorexia nervosa believes they are fat, even if they are very thin. With this eating disorder, they control what they eat by going on dangerous diets. Sometimes, their daily food intake can just be water and crackers. Health complications come with this disorder such as deterioration of the bones, lack of menstruation, constipation, low fertility, and more.

Someone with bulimia nervosa eats a large amount of food and ends up vomiting it up afterwards, to prevent weight gain. Many people who are bulimic maintain normal body weight, unlike those who have anorexia nervosa. However, use of laxatives, excessive use of exercise, and vomiting is very common among both disorders. Some health complications include worn tooth enamel, severe dehydration, acid reflux disorder, and many more.

Nobody is perfect

These are the extreme measures people go through to be thin, or to never gain weight. Every day, people are trying to live up to society’s standards. Some decide to get surgery to remove imperfections from their body or to enhance their body parts. So think twice before telling someone they are too skinny or not skinny enough. We all come in different shapes and sizes, but we are haunted by society’s message to be dissatisfied and keep working until we are satisfied with our bodies, in dangerous, unhealthy ways.

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