Negative body image is at epidemic levels.
Hundreds of millions of girls and woman across the planet are struggling with the pain and limitation of this every day, and it is a major contributor to the equally-alarming epidemic of eating disorders.
When a girl suffering from negative body image becomes a woman, she does not simply 'grow out of it'.
It is more likely that she will hide her feelings and behaviours from the world, and only those nearest and dearest to her will see some of the effects.
For example, her husband or partner may wonder why she does not enjoy sex, or allow him to see her naked, but may not understand why she behaves that way.
Negative body image affects every area of life though, not only private moments between partners.
A woman with negative body image will probably feel far less confident about stepping up when an opportunity to earn more money comes along, or to apply for the promotion.
If she's in an abusive relationship, she is far less likely to stand up for herself.
And over the years, the cycle of restricting food followed by the inevitable, biologically-driven binge, will damage her health.
So what can we do about it? We can lobby governments to change advertising standards, to force magazines to disclose when they have digitally altered photographs, and to force clothing manufacturers to produce clothing in realistic sizes.
To my mind, those are longer-term solutions.
Governments in Europe, Australia, and South America are taking those steps.
But the results are not showing up in the market yet.
There must be another prong to this movement of change, and it is in the body acceptance movement.
For me, what that means is that we can each choose to do a few simple things that will, over time, just help us feel happier with ourselves, with our normal human bodies in all their diversity.
Try these tips: Start and end the day by saying: "My body is my friend", even if you do not believe it right now.
Stop buying the magazines that crow about the imperfection of women's bodies and then sell you hundreds of pricey so-called solutions.
There are great alternatives on the newsstand, just look for them! They will feed your mind and take your focus off the plastic princess celebrity culture.
Start watching your thinking.
When you notice you're comparing yourself to other women, examine what you're saying and decide if that's what you really want to believe.
Stop criticizing your body's "imperfections" - yes you can! Start appreciating what your body actually can do, achieve, help you experience.
That body you're in is helping you read this page right now, carrying all the negative energy of your thoughts, and still doing the thousands of little tasks it must do, to keep your soul/life force/whatever you believe, connected to life on this planet in this time.
One person at a time loving their body can change the world!
Hundreds of millions of girls and woman across the planet are struggling with the pain and limitation of this every day, and it is a major contributor to the equally-alarming epidemic of eating disorders.
When a girl suffering from negative body image becomes a woman, she does not simply 'grow out of it'.
It is more likely that she will hide her feelings and behaviours from the world, and only those nearest and dearest to her will see some of the effects.
For example, her husband or partner may wonder why she does not enjoy sex, or allow him to see her naked, but may not understand why she behaves that way.
Negative body image affects every area of life though, not only private moments between partners.
A woman with negative body image will probably feel far less confident about stepping up when an opportunity to earn more money comes along, or to apply for the promotion.
If she's in an abusive relationship, she is far less likely to stand up for herself.
And over the years, the cycle of restricting food followed by the inevitable, biologically-driven binge, will damage her health.
So what can we do about it? We can lobby governments to change advertising standards, to force magazines to disclose when they have digitally altered photographs, and to force clothing manufacturers to produce clothing in realistic sizes.
To my mind, those are longer-term solutions.
Governments in Europe, Australia, and South America are taking those steps.
But the results are not showing up in the market yet.
There must be another prong to this movement of change, and it is in the body acceptance movement.
For me, what that means is that we can each choose to do a few simple things that will, over time, just help us feel happier with ourselves, with our normal human bodies in all their diversity.
Try these tips: Start and end the day by saying: "My body is my friend", even if you do not believe it right now.
Stop buying the magazines that crow about the imperfection of women's bodies and then sell you hundreds of pricey so-called solutions.
There are great alternatives on the newsstand, just look for them! They will feed your mind and take your focus off the plastic princess celebrity culture.
Start watching your thinking.
When you notice you're comparing yourself to other women, examine what you're saying and decide if that's what you really want to believe.
Stop criticizing your body's "imperfections" - yes you can! Start appreciating what your body actually can do, achieve, help you experience.
That body you're in is helping you read this page right now, carrying all the negative energy of your thoughts, and still doing the thousands of little tasks it must do, to keep your soul/life force/whatever you believe, connected to life on this planet in this time.
One person at a time loving their body can change the world!
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