Perception is reality and women’s perception of their friends’ body image concerns influence the way they feel about their own bodies. A research published in Sex Roles has shown that women who were not satisfied with their bodies assumed that their friends were also not satisfied. The more they thought their friend was dissatisfied, the more dissatisfied they become. Louise Wasylkiw, Ph.D., author and psychology professor says that talking about exercising lead women to thinking about what their bodies can do and not what their bodies look like. Read about the 5 ways to fight against negative body image.
Identify the Body Parts You Love
Focus more on the things that you love about yourself. Choose a body part that you love—your breasts, your hands, your stomach, stand in front of a mirror and talk about that part that you love. When you’re saying it out loud, you’re hearing and you’re boosting up your confidence. Just say it “My butt looks great in these jeans”. Or “My hips look amazing in this two-piece bathing suit”. Every body has good and not-so-good parts. Celebrate the former, and don’t dwell on the latter; you will discover that there are lots of things to love about your body.
Put Action Before Appearance
Focus more on what your body can do rather then what it looks like. Instead of saying “I hate my legs”, ask yourself: “What do these legs help me do? They help me take those Salsa dance classes I love.”
When you learn to talk positively about what your body does, you will start to look at your body in a different positive way.
Stop the Fat Talk
When a woman says ‘I’m so fat,’ the other woman might feel like ‘no, I’m the fat one and this goes back and forth over whose body is worse. If you and your friends always do the fat-talking, then you should say this to yourself: We are successful and amazing women and this isn’t something we should talk about and then change the subject. Or just decide your friendship will be a fat talk-free zone.
Hold Yourself to A Higher Standard
Be as nice to yourself as you are to people you love. Think of yourself first is that something you would tell your best friend, your sister and etc.? If you cannot imagine yourself telling those things to another human being who you love, then why are you talking these things to yourself?
Use Post-Its
Changing how you feel for yourself is something that can take time before feeling like second nature. If you’re struggling with it, ask your friends and family for help. The next time they give you a compliment, ask them to write it down on a post-it. Put the post-it’s on your mirror. This way you’ll be surrounded by statements of positive people who make you feel really good and they’ll help you fight the negative image you have about yourself.