Body Positivity vs Summer Body

Ms C says that she struggled a lot with body image growing up and there was no discourse online about the feelings she was going through. This lack of representation left her feeling alone and kept the ball going on the negative thoughts about her body. This is a very common feeling for young people and especially young girls to go through but until recently there was no discourse about it.

“Because I am plus size person when I'm working to lose weight, it's really hard to do it and not feel like I'm punishing myself for being overweight. So, when I do it, I'm very careful about when I'm counting calories and weighing myself. And I remind myself that it's not all about the numbers. And at the moment I'm working out a lot, doing a lot of strength training, and it feels incredible.  And it's just about maintaining that I'm not punishing myself and I'm working to be stronger, not just to lose fat, and maintaining that mental health while doing it is so important. So, if I find myself slipping I just have to check back in with myself and make sure that I'm still protecting myself because I've been through the whole punishing your body before so many times.”

For many, there is a continuous struggle between hating their body and working to better themselves and the constant pressure from social media to look a certain way often compounds that feeling.

Ms C reminds us that there are different stages of struggle but it is present in some way throughout most of her life growing up as a woman.

Although there is considerable pressure on everyone to look a certain way there is no surprise who is most at risk of developing unhealthy eating habits and eating disorders.

“Young women are the most at risk in adolescence and into their 20s and late 20s, and we are seeing it more in young men as well because there's a lot more pressure for muscle building and shredding and that kind of thing, so we are seeing disordered eating patterns in them as well.” Says Dr Collins.

Although there is a lot of conversation around the expectation put upon women about their bodies it is also important to recognise that men are increasingly being pressured into looking more muscular, particularly around the warmer months. Disordered eating and gym culture have become synonymous in many ways, and it is important to be aware that you may unknowingly be affected by this.

Dr Collins says that although young women are the most at risk of developing a disordered eating habit, this risk exists at all ages for women. Many older women who were taught dangerous, and now disproven, ideas about food are still following these rules because it was drilled into them when they were younger.

In a survey I conducted I found that within the 83.3% of responders who were women 66.7% had felt pressure to slim down for summer. On top of this 72.2% had felt this pressure specifically from social media.

“But in my personal experience of working with people in dietetic private practice over the last 10 years, I see it across all age groups for women because we're kind of at the stage now where women who are in their sixties and seventies were the young women of when Weight Watchers was at its peak and Jenny Craig. And so, they're continuing with all those types of eating patterns into later life. And so, we're still experiencing those types of disordered eating behaviours and restriction and fear around foods. So you do see it across all of the age groups.”

None of this is to say that there is anything wrong with being thin or muscular or fitting the ideal body type. All of this means that our bodies are complex and so are our relationships with them. Be aware of how you are treating your body and treating yourself.