Body image is the thoughts, beliefs, and feelings you have about your body. It includes what you believe about your appearance and how you physically feel in your body. You might experience positive body image, which includes general respect for your body, or negative body image, leading to feelings of shame or anxiety. Improving negative body image may involve therapy, fostering self-compassion, exercising for well-being rather than appearance, and challenging what you see on social media.
All About Body Image: How Psychologists Define It and How It Affects Health and Well-BeingMedically Reviewed by Seth Gillihan, PhD | January 30, 2024
FAQ
What factors influence body image?
What you see in the media, social pressures from parents and peers, personal experiences, and cultural values shape how you think about your body. Children as young as age 3 develop a body image.
How does negative body image impact mental health?
Negative body image can lead to shame and self-consciousness. It makes you more likely to experience depression, eating disorders, and low self-esteem.
No. Body image is a personal perception, while body positivity is a social movement. Body image can be neutral, while body positivity pushes for acceptance and self-love of all bodies. But this term is often used by people that support the thin ideal.
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Kelsey M. Latimer, PhD, RN
Medical Reviewer
Kelsey M. Latimer, PhD, RN, is a psychologist, nurse, and certified eating disorder specialist, and is the founder and owner of KML Psychological Services.
Adam Lake, MD, is a family physician with expertise in LGBTQIA+ health, as well as an HIV specialist and addiction medicine specialist. He is medical director of a clinic specializ...
Lynn Grieger is a registered dietitian-nutritionist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, certified personal trainer, and certified health and wellness coach. She comp...
Angela D. Harper, MD, is in private practice at Columbia Psychiatric Associates in South Carolina, where she provides evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapy for adul...
Seth Gillihan, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, who helps people find personal growth by making important changes in their thoughts and...
Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainabl...
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