Body image issues can have serious affects on day-to-day life
Catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror got harder and harder as the days went on. Things had changed, and when you looked in the mirror you saw a stranger. Who was the person staring back at you, and why did you feel trapped in her?
Waking up everyday, already dreading getting dressed because nothing will look good or worrying about what your friends will think about you wearing a jacket ten times your size in the middle of summer. Feeling guilty for having more food on your plate, grabbing an extra snack or being the only one eating amongst your friends. Not going to any events because of your constant anxiety about strangers’ perception of you.
All of these scenarios represent the lasting effects of a negative body image and lack of self-love. This starkly contrasts with the popular public opinion of “so what if you don’t like the way you look in those jeans? It’s not a big deal.”
When you find yourself constantly dissecting your image in the mirror, it ends up affecting your self-esteem, attitude and mentality.
Women especially deal with this issue significantly more on a daily basis, and it doesn’t help that in today’s society the image of a perfect woman is already set in stone. Everyone who doesn’t fit its description is cast as a societal defect. The pressure that comes with the desire to fit in and morph yourself into the picture-perfect woman is magnified with every selfie post or mirror picture.
Simple tasks such as taking photos when you go out or trying on clothes in a fitting room start to make your heart race with panic — and you find yourself wishing you never left your bed. This is a but a mere glance into the full impact body image has on mental health. One self-reflection could cause a spiral of thoughts that lead to anxiety, depression and even suicide.
A lot of people fail to be cognizant of the weight that their offhand comments carry because they could have a bigger influence on someone else than they realize. Body image issues can be severe and long-lasting — they should no longer be overlooked and mislabeled as just “a bad day.”
The idea of a single depiction of the perfect body is simply illogical due to the fact that the definition of beauty is subjective. Someone who is 100 pounds may feel the same dislike toward herself as someone who weighs twice that. But when analyzing the cause behind negative body image, numbers have nothing to do with it.
I can testify that I still deal with trying my hardest to like who I am and what I look like. The only way to escape this toxic belief that you must look a certain way to please people, is to first believe that body positivity doesn’t come with numbers but with a healthy mentality. It doesn’t matter what you look like as long as you feel beautiful. Stop comparing yourself to any standard and find things about yourself that make you unique.
Because at the end of the day, the only opinion about your body that should matter, is your own. Self love is not loving how you look but loving who you are regardless of how you look.
Featured Illustration: Austin Banzon
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