Loving your imperfect body: Worrying about Our Apperances

Unfortunately, today’s society makes it easy to feel bad about one’s body. Even as
North Americans are getting larger, our image of the ideal body is getting thinner – and
harder to obtain. For example, fashion models used to be 8% smaller than the average
woman, and now they are 30% smaller – and several inches taller. For men, the physical ideal has also shifted. Just look at the leading men in any Marvel
movie, with their elaborately sculped muscles, as compared to the biggest stars of the
1950s. Certainly, celebrities such as James Dean and Marlon Brando were fit and
handsome, but they didn’t spend hours in the gym or eat highly specific diets under the
watchful eye of trainers and nutritionists as today’s impossibly lean and muscular stars
do. Studies show that both men and women are worried about their appearance. Estimates
suggest that around 70% of women aged 18-30 don’t like their body, and around 50%
try to control their weight with unhealthy behaviors. Among men, 43% don’t like their
body and body dissatisfaction is growing among men. A positive body image is important for a happy, healthy, well-adjusted life. A negative
body image harms physical and mental health and can hold us back from achieving our
dreams. Read on for more about how our body image is formed in childhood and
adolescence.