What is Your Body Image And Self Esteem Telling You?
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
What Our Body Image And Self Esteem Telling Us?
Body image and self esteem is so interrelated that it can play an unnecessarily major role in determining one’s self esteem. Because society has placed so much emphasis on looking a certain way, many people have become crippled in their their own ability to feel OK about the way they look. They have become caught up in placing too much emphasis on a body image that should have no affect on telling them who they really are. It’s interesting to note that what has become a stumbling-block for one person with certain physical characteristics has absolutely no affect on another who has the same physical characteristics.
Body Image And Self Esteem Goes Hand In Hand
Studies have shown that body image and self esteem goes hand in hand. Ones body image can determine a person’s self esteem. Case in point is of a young woman who was obese as a child. Her family constantly criticized her, making her self conscious of her condition. Likewise at school, classmates chided her and she was often the subject of cruel comments and jokes. When it came time for sports or other activities she was always the last person chosen or not chosen at all. At age 12 she was still sucking her thumb. She never volunteered in class and didn’t appear to have any happiness in her life at all. The young woman grew up isolated and never ventured outside unless absolutely necessary. She continued to suck her thumb and used her food as a consolation for her loneliness. Self esteem registered zero.
Obesity is only one of many body features that can affect how a person views themselves. Some people’s height or lack of, can be a problem area for them. In the case of men, they may develop a “little man” complex and constantly engage in behavior that expands their ego, like driving the biggest car, or providing lavish gifts to females to seemingly make up for their lack of stature. Their body image and self esteem gets tweaked and they overdo in other areas to compensate for what they think they are lacking.
For others, it could be the hair issue. Some men who go prematurely bald feel the need to wear a toupee. They often think that in order to attract a female they must have a full head of hair. Their body image and self esteem is affected to the extent that they have become overly conscious of their lack of hair. If that wasn’t so, they would accept baldness joyfully and not bother with attempting to cover it up.
False Images Based On Outside Perceptions
How we see ourselves based on the visual is too often predicated on the images established by others outside our sphere. Advertisements most often depict the successful or happy individual as slim, beautiful or handsome. When we buy into that picture, we begin to think there may be something wrong with us and fall into despair because our body or hair or teeth don’t fit that beautiful/handsome/successful/happy image. From there negative thinking and self talk kicks in and before long the false body image is dictating our self esteem.