What do people see when they look at you? What do you see when you look at yourself? And what do you actually look like? Body image is all about how you feel about your body, and what you think your body looks like.
According to one study (new window), around one in four Australian men in the healthy weight range believe themselves to be fat.
Feeling good, looking good enough
Research studies (new window) have shown that approximately nine out of 10 young Australian women have dieted at least once in their lives.
Negative body image can affect anyone. To feel at home in your own skin you can make positive choices about:
- Exercise and fitness
- What you eat
- Taking care of your body and mind
- Being clear about what's important to you
It's only natural to be aware of how you look and to care about your appearance, but there's a lot more to you than the shape of your body. Keeping a healthy perspective is important.
Wrong nose, wonky eyes, small breasts, big thighs
Your thoughts and feelings about your body can be affected by many things, including:
- A changing sense of who you are, where you fit in and what you want
- How you deal with a changing body
- Competing or comparing yourself with other people, or feeling judged by them
- Images and ideas from advertisements, magazines and films telling you how you should look
- Your own sense of what's important
Most people have a few little things they don’t really love about themselves - that’s pretty normal. But if you really don't like the way you look or find your self obsessing about your body - then you've got a poor body image.
Negative feelings about your body can lead to crash dieting, developing an eating disorder, and even using drugs to try to achieve an 'ideal' body.
Five ways to keep your body image healthy
- Be realistic - You only have to look around you to see that humans come in all shapes and sizes and everyone is different
- Separate the myths from the facts - Check out trustworthy books, fact sheets, information brochures and websites
- Talk it over - Discuss any concerns about your body image with friends and other people you trust
- Know yourself - Your feelings are going to change from day to day, and over time - no one feels great all the time
- Get help - If you are constantly feeling low or preoccupied with your body image, it's important to speak out and get support
For more information
Check out the Where to get help (link to "Where to get help") page in our Body image section links to information about body image and where to get help for body image problems.
You can also do the body image quizzes on the Better Health Channel - there's one for men (new window) and one for women (new window).
