Let’s start at the beginning:…..
What is body image?
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as "a subjective picture of one's own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others"
It is our internal view of our physical self.
This may seem like it belongs only in the realm of our minds. Yet, it is a very complicated issue. It involves both the internal and external influences that shape and evolve who we are and what we think of as right and good. It does exist in our minds. It involves our own perceptions of what we see in the physical world. It involves what we assume others think of us and the influences on that assumption.
But what is in our minds is also learned from the outside world. We develop ideas about our bodies from those around us. Body image also involves the pressures of a society that wounds, perhaps unknowingly, perhaps not, to ensure perpetual consumption. So again, it is a complicated issue, with a myriad of causes and determinants that results both from our personal experiences and the pressures of a larger society. It is both a psychological and a social phenomenon.
Enter into the mind:
According to the University Students Guide to Body Image from Concordia, our body image is made up of two parts: 1.) It is ultimately a subjective view of ourselves, so involves what we perceive our own bodies to be like and 2.) How we feel about that perception.
At first glance, it may all seem like the same thing. But what you perceive your body to be like is not necessarily what it is like. Furthermore, there is a difference between what you see and what you think about what you see. Make sense?
What is body image?
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as "a subjective picture of one's own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others"
It is our internal view of our physical self.
This may seem like it belongs only in the realm of our minds. Yet, it is a very complicated issue. It involves both the internal and external influences that shape and evolve who we are and what we think of as right and good. It does exist in our minds. It involves our own perceptions of what we see in the physical world. It involves what we assume others think of us and the influences on that assumption.
But what is in our minds is also learned from the outside world. We develop ideas about our bodies from those around us. Body image also involves the pressures of a society that wounds, perhaps unknowingly, perhaps not, to ensure perpetual consumption. So again, it is a complicated issue, with a myriad of causes and determinants that results both from our personal experiences and the pressures of a larger society. It is both a psychological and a social phenomenon.
Enter into the mind:
According to the University Students Guide to Body Image from Concordia, our body image is made up of two parts: 1.) It is ultimately a subjective view of ourselves, so involves what we perceive our own bodies to be like and 2.) How we feel about that perception.
At first glance, it may all seem like the same thing. But what you perceive your body to be like is not necessarily what it is like. Furthermore, there is a difference between what you see and what you think about what you see. Make sense?
Perception:
We perceive our bodies in many ways - we see them, we feel them, we touch them on the outside and we feel them on the inside. It is amazing that our minds can distort the information coming into to it but it is true. It has the capacity to distort information but make it seem to be real. Our feelings about our bodies can be based on this kind of distortion in our perception (Cash and Pruzinsky, 2002). So our feelings about our bodies can be based on incorrect information about what we perceive.
For example, research done by Tsakiris, Tajadura-Jimenez and Costantini (2011) has shown that what we perceive our outside image to be like is influenced by how we experience the internal states of our body. So, our body image can be partly influenced by how much we are able to feel our bodies from within, such being able to feel our heartbeat. So perception is not necessarily reality. And when viewing our bodies, what we see may not be at all what other people see. Have you ever been mystified by a friend's concerns over her complexion or the size or shape of her nose?
So our body image is a mental construction of our physical selves.
What you see your body to be like is not necessarily the truth - and what you see is altered by a wide range of influences - both from inside of ourselves and from outside. Our view is subjective and formed throughout our life by the messages we receive from ourselves, our family and from our culture.
For example, research done by Tsakiris, Tajadura-Jimenez and Costantini (2011) has shown that what we perceive our outside image to be like is influenced by how we experience the internal states of our body. So, our body image can be partly influenced by how much we are able to feel our bodies from within, such being able to feel our heartbeat. So perception is not necessarily reality. And when viewing our bodies, what we see may not be at all what other people see. Have you ever been mystified by a friend's concerns over her complexion or the size or shape of her nose?
So our body image is a mental construction of our physical selves.
What you see your body to be like is not necessarily the truth - and what you see is altered by a wide range of influences - both from inside of ourselves and from outside. Our view is subjective and formed throughout our life by the messages we receive from ourselves, our family and from our culture.
Feeling:
How we feel about our bodies is separate from how we see our bodies. There are people who can look in the mirror at their bodies, perceive their bodies as being outside cultural views of what is perfect but still feel great about what they see. Conversely, and more commonly, a person may look in the mirror and have negative feelings toward that image despite conforming or not to a social standard. These feelings develop also as we interact with others, interpret the reactions of others to our bodies and learn cultural messages. We can learn that our bodies are beautiful no matter the shape and feel good about what we see. Or, we can learn that our bodies are inadequate unless a particular shape and feel bad about what we see.
Others as Mirrors:
We use others as mirrors to learn about ourselves. This idea – that we see ourselves through the eyes of other people is called the looking glass self (Aronson, Wilson, Akert and Ferh, 2010). This is also a contributor to the whole of our body image – we see ourselves by imagining how others see us and the judgements they might be forming about what they see. This imagined appraisal is how we form ideas of who we are and what our bodies may look like.
According to the University Student’s Guide to Body Image the combination of what you see and feel when you look into the mirror, or imagine what others are seeing, can result in an idea that can range from being very unsatisfied to being very satisfied with the way your body looks. This combination is your body image.
So does society influence what we think of our bodies? And what are those external influences? Follow the next page to enter into the social….
Others as Mirrors:
We use others as mirrors to learn about ourselves. This idea – that we see ourselves through the eyes of other people is called the looking glass self (Aronson, Wilson, Akert and Ferh, 2010). This is also a contributor to the whole of our body image – we see ourselves by imagining how others see us and the judgements they might be forming about what they see. This imagined appraisal is how we form ideas of who we are and what our bodies may look like.
According to the University Student’s Guide to Body Image the combination of what you see and feel when you look into the mirror, or imagine what others are seeing, can result in an idea that can range from being very unsatisfied to being very satisfied with the way your body looks. This combination is your body image.
So does society influence what we think of our bodies? And what are those external influences? Follow the next page to enter into the social….