HOW TO AVOID BODY IMAGE PRESSURE

Do my thighs look fat in these trousers? I hate my face. I wish I had a smaller waist. I wish my nose was thinner. These are complaints that some girls put themselves through daily. Some really hate their bodies and go to extreme measures to change. 95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.

Some girls put themselves under unnecessary pressure as they compare their bodies to the ones they see in the media. Below are some points to consider if you struggle with body image pressure.

Know That You Are Unique

You are unique and you have to appreciate your individuality. You have to be happy with yourself and the way you are built. There is nobody on this planet that will ever be you so rather than comparing yourself to others, celebrate your individuality.  Even identical sisters have their own uniqueness.  Kehinde took a while to accept her uniqueness. She is a twin and had always compared herself. But one day she got a wake up call and realised that she was actually her own person.

Images Are Touched Up

Do you know that a photographer takes about 500 pictures and then looks for the best shot and touches them up for a magazine cover? Every imperfection in a magazine can be corrected. So those models don’t look like how they are presented in the magazines. Jade was shocked to see that her favourite celebrity didn’t actually have the perfect skin. Photos are touched up so consumers can buy the products.

Accept Yourself

The quicker you accept yourself and the body shape that you have, the less likely you will you will become obsessed with body image. A lot of celebrities undergo plastic surgery to change their natural features. Some are still not satisfied and still do further surgery. So what does this suggest? You may never be happy with your body even if you have the money to change it.

Adapt A Healthy Lifestyle

Perhaps you can do more exercise or eat more healthy food if you want to improve the shape of your body and lean out. Ngozi was not happy about her weight but instead of dieting she decided to change her eating habits and found that the excess weight dropped off.

Don’t Take Extreme Measures

Unfortunately some girls take body image pressures to the extreme and hardly eat. They look very lean and ill and sometimes this affects their internal organs. Please don’t let this be your story. Seek help if you think you have an eating disorder. The truth is no matter how we look, there will always be some imperfections on our bodies. That’s what makes us human.  But rather than complain about our imperfect body parts, let’s be grateful. There are so many people that would swap their so called perfect bodies for good health. That is more important.