We are a society full of labels. People quite literally like everything to be in terms of black or white, right or wrong, and in the context of body image – skinny or fat. These labels are not truly anyone’s defining features, rather they function as a tool which people can use to understand the world around them. Our brains are constantly breaking down the images around us into smaller and smaller categories – it’s a process which has been part of a survival mechanism that enabled humans to differentiate between friend or foe in an ancient, far more dangerous world.
Somewhere between 200, 000 years ago and now, this instinct forgot to evolve with the rest of our bodies. It’s no longer simply antiquated, instead this old survival instinct is actually harming people in the present. In the words of everyone’s favourite Prime Minister — “Because it’s 2015” (okay, 2016) and we have to start thinking differently.
Thinking differently about how you perceive your body (and others) isn’t an easy thing to do, it’s an engaging process that involves re-training your brain. The first step in changing your perception of body image is recognizing when you’re labelling or judging yourself unfairly, and then stopping those thoughts in their tracks.
“I look like shit today.”
“I feel so fat.”
“God my hips are huge.”
“I hate my calves.”“I’ve got man shoulders.”“My pores are huge”
“…I’ve got really bad breath in the morning.”
This can be a hard thing to do, particularly in a society that has completely normalized the ‘right’ to judge and scrutinize others based on their appearance. So when you can’t keep those negative thoughts at bay, remind yourself of the things you do like. Nobody is flawless, but nobody is totally flawed either!
To get the conversation started for Body Image Week, we spoke to people all around Campus and asked them what they liked most about their body. Thank you to everyone for your submissions!