In this world of attaining the perfect bikini body, people succumb to finding odd methods/ways to achieve the physique they aim for. Many influences cause a dialect to gain a specific body type. To want an ideal body type is a human tendency as long as it is a healthy choice. But things get out of hand when this becomes a routine-to skip meal, compare body types, and so many more ways to attain the physique desired that it becomes an obsession. When these traits are witnessed in a person- they are most likely to be suffering from an eating disorder.
It is the most influential-environmentally
Most of the factors that cause eating disorders or a body image dilemma in a person's head are environmental. The top two reasons as environmental instigators for eating disorders would be childhood influence and social media feed. Childhood influence has a significant impact on how healthy boy types are viewed. When the environment provided by the parents supports toxic body type standards, it leads to anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, to quote among a few. This is because of the lack of freedom to be comfortable in their body types.
How toxic can negativity be?
Negative body image leads to severe eating disorder issues. It feeds into negative thoughts about how a body should look- or it is not acceptable. The thoughts of being constantly dissatisfied/disgusted by their body type and engaging in unhealthy behaviours such as body checking, extreme exercise, intense dieting are some of the ways they lead themselves. It leads to feeling embarrassed about their body, lack of confidence, feelings of inadequacy, etc. The primary drawback of how negative body image affects someone mentally is that it leaves them feeling unworthy- from feeling appealing to just beautiful/handsome.
What we see is what we feed our brain-mentally
Social media plays a vital role as the instigator too. Several teens and adults get carried away from how the entertainment industry portrays ideal body types. A lot of the public follows people on social media due to the fear of missing out on the gossip. Most start comparing themselves to actors or actresses and feel miserable about their body type. What they do not realize is industries sell products. When it comes to your social feed- the entertainment industry will market what is pleasing to the eye. The actors and actresses go through tons of training to look a certain way -from working out to posing in front of the camera.
Media changes from time to time
The illusion that what we watch or see on our TVs and phones is fake- when it comes to the portrayal of body image. Media contributing to feeling uncomfortable in one's body type has become common. It showcases only certain appealing body types- so said the marketing team. The world consists of various body types, and in reality, bodies change from time to time.
In the '90s, the ideal body type that appealed to men was skinny. The woman with the least weight on her bones and still looked beautiful was considered "The ideal body type for women". Today the ideal has changed from skinny to curvy. This shows that what the media sells will change eventually and not be what it used to. All the women in their skinny and curvy body types since the '90s till today are beautiful. The ones who failed to see it were the ones who did not appreciate themselves.
Being appreciative
Most people who deal with eating disorders have issues with gratitude. This gratitude is towards what they have and how important their body type is. Dealing with people who expect one to look a certain type body-wise is hard- especially when you do not fit the criteria. But the criteria are something you set- as long as the choices made are healthy.
The drawback
People often take this as an excuse to lead an unhealthy lifestyle and get obese. This is not what is being preached as obesity can cause diabetes to stroke- hence not encouraged. In summary, you're being asked to practice a healthy lifestyle mode with an appropriate diet, enough exercise, 8 hours of sleep, and to maintain a routine to achieve a fitness goal. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle would seem challenging, but there are ways to overcome it, such as journaling about your worry, therapy, and more that suit your style of dealing with it.
At the end of the day, unhealthy body types need to adapt to a healthier lifestyle to avoid health risks, and normal and healthy body types need to accept themselves.
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