Health, Body & Delusion: Shaping Your Body Image
Updated: Sep 18
Article Synopsis by Ms. Gabbi Grace
The article "Health, Body and Delusion - How Your Body Image Depends On You" explores the relationship between body positivity and self-perception. It provides a comprehensive overview of body positivity, addressing psychological and societal influences, and the internal struggle individuals face.
The article encourages self-empowerment by emphasizing the importance of cultivating healthy self-esteem and appreciating oneself, empowering readers to take control of their self-image and self-worth.
The article critiques societal norms, highlighting cultural variability of beauty standards and debunking the myth of a universal ideal body. It also offers a balanced perspective on health and appearance, encouraging readers to pursue a healthy lifestyle while maintaining a positive body image.
Overall, the article provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between body image and self-perception. It has the potential to be a highly impactful piece that encourages readers to embrace body positivity and self-acceptance.
Part I: Body Positivity: More Than Looks
"People need to realize that models get [professional] hair and makeup, incredible lighting, and we know how to pose. I’ve been doing this job for almost 10 years so I know how my body looks good from different angles. But I don’t look like that in real life. I’m like every other girl; there are things I wish I could change about my body, but I try not to think about them too much." -- Sara Sampaio
Even the most conventionally attractive people can struggle with crippling self-doubt, while those deemed "unattractive" by societal standards can cultivate a greater sense of self-appreciation. This is because our perception of our bodies is often a self-reflection, a psychological construct rather than a purely physical one.
Body positivity, at its core, transcends the limitations of the physical. It's not about ignoring health concerns or pretending medical issues don't exist. It's about recognizing that our self-image, that critical voice in our heads, can be wildly out of sync with reality.
True body positivity goes beyond aesthetics. It focuses on building healthy self-esteem, independent of the clothes we wear or the shape we perceive in the mirror. It's about accepting and appreciating ourselves for who we are, not just the vessel we inhabit.
The Mental Dimension of Body Image
Whether or not we choose to accept who we are is our prerogative because our lives, like our bodies, belong to us, and are not the property of others. As such, while the freedom of expression allows anyone to criticize and judge us, it's our choice to whether or not to accept who we are. That is whether or not we wish work towards what we wish to become.
Thus, we need to create this mental barrier between our sense of self and between what others think of us. While both of these are equally legitimate perceptions, People are allowed to judge us the same as we are allowed to heavily disagree with them.
As such, the ability to sustain a good body-image is also a matter of resolve, a mental struggle towards being confident within our own skin. The more mental strength we'll be able to gather, the more we could withstand and recognize the existence of opinions which would disapprove of us. And by "us" I refer to either of those:
Who we currently are,
What we might become, should we fail to meet societal expectations.
What we might become, should we succeed to meet societal expectations.
The mental and social struggle in this issue cannot be denied therefore, as we will be judged either way. In people's company, that is an inevitable possibility.
Part II: The Internal Battle -- Making the Clear Sense of Distinction
There's a misconception that "body positivity" is society fixing a problem for individuals. The reality, is might be more about an internal, personal struggle towards finding inner peace. It's a battle fought within each of us, regardless of our physical appearance, and often regardless of external validation.
Here are some points that need to be known to fully understand this body-mind issue:
Beyond Aesthetics: True body positivity isn't about forcing someone to believe they are "beautiful." It's about dismantling the false idea that self-worth necessarily correlates with physical perfection.
In reality, however, the happiness that comes with a good sense of self worth, as well as happiness in general, is subjective to the individual. It would be illogical to expect that the same goals give all people happiness once they're achieved, thus the path of happiness is based on self-knowledge, and not on social trends.
The Impact of Looking Within: While our self-image is internal, it bleeds into the external world. Low self-esteem can lead to social withdrawal, impacting relationships and productivity. By cultivating the inner strength to exist despite the external significance, we can reduce its overall influence on our mentality by refusing to comply and submit to it. When you fully understand every part of yourself you are less likely to be impacted by the world around you. You can become more sure of yourself, and your assertiveness can be used as protection.
From Apathy to Empathy: In a world defined by its general apathy to individuals, it's often unrealistic to expect empathy from others, and that especially includes strangers and those who refuse to understand us properly. If anything, the best thing we could do is to not be disappointed by this fact, but work towards giving empathy to ourselves. To accept ourselves despite our flaws, and choose to work on these flaws should we ever decide to. We do not have to fully accept our flaws when we can muster, by desire, to change these flaws through training and discipline. Either way much of our ability to empathize with ourselves depends on our resolve to do so. We're the first people who can love our own selves.
Health Beyond Appearance: Health is crucial for a productive society, and body positivity can be a gateway to healthier choices. When we accept our current state of our bodies, we're more likely to take care of our bodies – physically and mentally -- to preserve it.
Role model Kim Alexis claims: "I remember trying every fad diet … starving myself for four days in a row. I remember trying the Atkins diet, which was low carbohydrate, high protein. If I didn’t drop ten pounds in a week, I was on to another diet. I think I was a normal person before I started screwing around with all these diets.... [I've suffered] long-term health effects from the crazy diets.”
Breaking the Materialistic Machine: Society isn't just a "profit machine." It thrives on a diverse and fulfilled population, who can contribute to others despite financial profit being made. Body positivity empowers individuals to pursue their passions. Our bodies are there as tools to help us achieve our hopes and dreams, and it's why the body is capable of much adaptability.
Part III: Reframing the Discourse
Let's shift the focus from body image to a healthier lifestyle. Encouraging healthy habits – whether we're individuals talking to friends, parents raising kids, teachers guiding students, or content creators influencing followers – is a far more productive approach.
Over time, this can positively impact body image on a broader scale, than trying to be pleasing to the demands of large-scale organizations and corporations. They don't necessarily care about your individual uniqueness, as much as they seek to turn a profit like the average business.
Here are points to consider for a healthier mindset, which can improve body image more effectively:
Obsession vs. Appreciation: Constantly obsessing over minor imperfections is a drain on time and energy. However, a healthy level of self-awareness is important. The key lies in appreciating our bodies for what they can do, rather than solely focusing on appearance.
By improving our self esteem we can live in greater harmony with our imperfections. We could also thrive alongside them, if they don't serve as significant obstacles in our path to self-actualization
Criticizing the Ideal Body Myth: The concept of an "ideal" body is a cultural mirage that won't necessarily bring you the happiness you seek. Firstly, there's no universal standard for beauty, as different cultures, and individuals have varying preferences. Some women, for example, were found to be attracted more to overweight men. That's despite the fact that an ideal, stereotypical body isn't overweight. Imagine showing people from around the world a range of physiques – who they find attractive will differ greatly. In Tajikistan, for example, unibrows are considered a "symbol of feminine beauty and purity". Conversely, fashion models who appear unhealthily thin in Western cultures are stereotypically presented as the epitome of female beauty. We can therefore deduce that an "ideal body" is not objective but is subject to perception.
Understanding Modeling: Models showcase clothing, not human ideals. They're essentially "human clothes hangers." They are there to influence you to buy clothing and accessories, not to tell you what you should become or look like. They are there to inspire you to buy, not to inspire you to follow their example, as the default definition of a role model suggests.
They only necessarily model appearance. The rest of their functionality is attributed subjectively. While modeling can be lucrative, it doesn't contribute significantly to society beyond vanity. There are far more impactful and valuable ways to contribute to the world. As such, pure beauty deserves to be criticized.
The Delusion of Looks: People can be delusional about their appearance in both positive and negative ways. Some believe they need improvement despite being attractive to many people, while others believe they deserve admiration for external qualities that aren't there. However, to play the devil's advocate, delusions can be used as a self-defense mechanism.
To quote Jess C. Scott: “What’s the whole point of being pretty on the outside when you’re so ugly on the inside?”
Conclusions
Ultimately, the choice on our bodies, both in perception and action, is ours. We can succumb to unrealistic beauty standards, or we can cultivate a healthy self-image that values our bodies for their capabilities and focuses on overall well-being.
To expand and utilize our lifespan and our mental health, we can promote healthy living and self-acceptance. We can work towards a society where everyone thrives, not just in terms of social worth, but in all aspects of life.
Our choice forever begins on the individual's consent. Respecting other people is also expressed by respecting their consent.
Your self-worth is defined by the width of your belly only if you choose to. With your permission you can choose to focus on other aspects of who you are, such as the strength of your will and the vastness of your potential.
Mr. Nathan Lasher's Feedback
You begin to understand self worth when you start to fully understand yourself and what you have to offer to the world. When you realize stuff of this nature, people's opinions mean little as they can’t take away from facts. It really does boil down to presenting yourself in a way that you want other people to see and think of you as.
Any time you let others decide your worth you will always be in for a disappointment. Create a value that other people can’t so easily deny.
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