Body image distortion and dissatisfaction are quite common, especially in women and teens. Body image distortion occurs when a person has misperceptions about their body or parts of their body. For example, a person with a distorted body image might see themselves as fat, even though they are a healthy weight and normal size. Body image distortion can go beyond misrepresenting your appearance and magnifying your flaws. It can also involve an over-emphasis on the importance of appearance and how it relates to your worth. That is, you may think that looks matter more than anything else and that you don’t fit in because your looks aren’t ‘good enough’. 

Body image dissatisfaction involves being critical or unhappy about how you look, your body overall, or a part of your body. This can come about when there is a gap between how you see yourself (actual body) and how you want to look (ideal body). A large gap here often leads people to put themselves down about their appearance, even when looks aren’t the problem. This can cause distress, anxiety, low mood and low self-esteem. Can you relate to any of this so far? Is there a gap between how you think you look currently and how you’d like to look if you had the power to change your appearance? Describing your current body versus your ideal body can help you identify any discrepancies.   

If you are dissatisfied with your body, you might find yourself checking your reflection, weighing yourself, hiding your perceived flaws, or avoiding going out altogether.  You fail to view your own body accurately, which can lead to conflict between you and your friends or partner.  Even when someone compliments you, you are quick to reject it, as it doesn’t fit into your idea of yourself. Body dissatisfaction can also lead to frantic efforts to change or hide aspects of your appearance, such as extreme dieting, body checking and avoidance. These behaviors can be unhealthy and will come up later in this module.

Distorted body image is also a core part of serious disorders, like Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and eating disorders. These disorders can start out as small insecurities and, if left unaddressed, develop into conditions that affect your health, relationships, and work.

Eating disorders – People with these conditions fear judgment against how they look. Because of these fears, they resort to unhealthy behavior like eating too much or too little food. While their fears are valid, their behavior has bad effects on the body. Purging can strain your heart and energy. Malnutrition can lead to a lot of health problems because it lowers your immunity, making you more likely to get sick.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) – People with this condition obsess over their looks a lot. They are overly concerned with their flaws no matter how small or if others notice them or not. This can lead to unhealthy behaviors that get in the way of their daily functioning. People with BDD often:

This is one of the most influential ones. Because it’s tied to a biological component, your body image can highly depend on this. People who count as overweight are sometimes hesitant to go out and be around others. Being labeled as “overweight” can make you feel like there’s something wrong or bad with your body. 

However,  not all people with negative self-image believe or accept their BMI score. For example, when someone sees themselves as fat even though their BMI is actually normal. It could be they see parts of their body are too fatty or they lack the curves they want. Either way, the labels that come with their BMI can worry people with body image issues. 

“She has a nice personality, but…” is a phrase we too often hear in the media or from our friends when describing someone who doesn’t fit their standard of beauty. The phrase in itself downplays the importance of having a good personality. Of course, we don’t want to downplay that looks also matter to people. But what is it that makes you, you?

Like many of us, you’re a person with two eyes, a nose, a mouth. Maybe you have wrinkles, freckles, dimples on your face. Your head, eye, nose shape are also different from others. Maybe you get comments, positive or negative, about your face features. You probably have a nice smile, pretty eyes, a tall nose, high cheekbones. But all that can be overshadowed by one negative comment. Sometimes we just need to look at the mirror and see the whole picture. We’re more than what people tell us we are. There are so many things special about you, even if you see them as flaws.

There’s more to you than just your body. Your body is just one part of a beautiful whole. You’re the memories you make, the way you treat others, the love you give, and the happiness you shine in someone’s life. Whether you know it or not, you’re something to someone, regardless of how you look. People can forget the wrinkles on your face, the skin flaws you have, and all the little imperfections you see in the mirror. But they will remember how you made them feel.