It’s fair to say it’s almost second nature to have body judgments, either good or bad, in a culture that teaches women our main value and worthiness comes from the composition of our body.  Given this, it makes sense we give compliments to others about their bodies and feel validated when we receive them as well.  It seems innocent to celebrate one’s weight loss because we have been taught for so long that weight loss is a good thing.  However, we never really know what’s going on underneath the body changes.  Although the compliments may be in good nature, it can cause damage on the receiving end.

Body image very rarely is about our actual body. Oftentimes body image stems from a lack of self-worth and value as well as a perceived loss of control. Diet culture revs up this unhealthy and irrational view of our bodies by creating the fantasy that if our bodies are “fixed” our lives might be fixed as well. Although body image can be deeply rooted and lead to poor self-esteem and even the development of an eating disorder there is hope. Body image is a learned behavior and can be reversed!

In an age where much of our time is spent online, it’s easy to feel impacted by the people you follow. Although social media has shown vast positive outcomes, we need to talk about the harmful portrayal of perfection, self-objectification, and digital manipulation. Following the never ending diet trends and using filters won’t lead you to a meaningful life, but instead a life of constantly chasing an unattainable standard. At the end of the day, we are just women seeking connection and wanting to feel enough.

Body image is not just something girls in their teens struggle with, but woman of every age. Susan Sontag brilliantly spoke about how our culture only allows one standard of female beauty… the girl. And of course we have some thoughts on this!