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| Fitness |
 Scales are for Fish, Not Women - Part
2By Carol Fredrek In part one of the ‘Scales Are For Fish, Not For Women’ series, the historical and socio-cultural issues related to body image were addressed. What is body image? Body image exists on many levels. It is visual, mental, emotional, kinesthetic, and historical. •Visual - how you see yourself when you look in the mirror, or when you picture yourself in your mind. •Mental - what you believe about your appearance. •Emotional - how you feel about your body, including your height, shape and weight. •Kinesthetic - how you sense and control your body as you move. •Historical - your lifetime of experience, including pleasure and pain, praise and criticism. Our body image is always changing as our body changes with age, illness, hunger, or fatigue. Our feelings, attitudes, and values are so easily shifted by external factors. A slight comment by someone such as, “You look great today. Have you lost weight?” or “Perhaps those black pants would be more slimming,” can alter our body image. Stepping on the scale in the morning can determine how we feel about ourselves for the rest of the day. Negative Body Image / Body Loathing - is when you have a distorted perception of your shape. You are convinced that only other people are attractive, and that your body size or shape is a sign of personal failure. There is a feeling of preoccupation and dissatisfaction with your appearance. You feel ashamed, self-conscious, and anxious about your body. It arouses an internal envy. Positive Body Image / Body Love - is when you have a clear, true perception of your shape. You experience a mixture of emotions, attitudes, and actions that let you enjoy the way your body looks and the way it feels. You celebrate and appreciate your natural body shape. You feel proud and accepting of your unique body, and refuse to spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about food, weight, and calories. You feel comfortable and confident within your body. You can move from Body Loathing to Body Love, but first it is important to understand the relationship between body image and self-esteem. Poor body image has very little to do with how you actually look. Studies have shown that there is very little connection between a woman’s actual physical attractiveness (as rated by others), and her satisfaction with body image. In addition, there is little connection between physical attractiveness and feelings of self-worth. A self-esteem survey was given to both attractive and unattractive people, and their scores were very similar. However, there was a strong relationship between body image and self-esteem. What this means is that despite appearance, people who view their bodies positively also tend to have higher self-esteem. On the contrary, those who see their bodies negatively are apt to have lower self-esteem. (Freedman, R. 1988) How accurate is your body image? A questionnaire is available at www.edreferral.com/body_image.htm. Click onto “Body Image: Your Body, Your Self” for the “How Do You Measure Up?” questionnaire to see how you do measure up. Look for Part 3 - “How to Move from Body Loathing to Body Love” in the January/Feburary issue. Carol Fredrek, MA is a counsellor in private practice specializing in women's issues, eating disorders, depression, chronic illness; certified in EMDR; individual, couples, groups, seminars. Call 208.4456 or fredrek@shaw.ca |