There has been some talk recently in social media about body image. Actually, most people, especially women, are concerned about how they look. It may be a matter of semantics, but here we need to draw a distinction. It may be more appropriate to say that people are concerned with how they think they look, not how they look.
There is a big difference. It is not an issue of reality but rather one of perception, even self-image. Most people are familiar with eating disorders. These are psychological syndromes in which people believe they need to have the perfect bodies that they don't believe they have. These perfect bodies will make them look attractive and therefor entitle them to love.
People who have an eating disorders go to extreme lengths to get them. Some will starve themselves while others will eat and then expunge the food by regurgitating. Of course there are health issues involved and these behaviors can ultimately lead to death.
Most of us actually feel this way about ourselves to some degree. We all feel that different parts of our bodies could be more or less. Most of us also feel that our ability to attract romance and sex is based on how well we look. There is, of course, a certain amount of truth to this. While moat of us feel that parts of our bodies could use a little improvement, however, we don't go to the extreme lengths to get there.
There is, in all this, the contribution of reality. People who suffer from eating disorders are not in touch with reality. An exercise that they go through is laying on a large piece of drawing paper in which their body is traced with a pencil. They then get up and see exactly what they look like. A lot of times this won't work because it's about their perception that's colored by history.
Most of us did not have.perfect upbringings by people who loved us unconditionally. We had to earn their love, one way or another. People with eating disorders typically have a lot of abuse or rejection in their past. Again, many of us feel this way to some degree.
In reality, it really doesn't matter what you look like. Whatever shape you have, there is always someone who is going to be attracted to you. Perusing the internet will reveal sites that cater to every taste.
So it really boils down to one thing: how you feel about yourself. If you have a good relationship with yourself and love yourself, you can accept that others will as well. Certainly we should all arrive to be physically healthy, but we would be well to be emotionally healthy as well. When you accept yourself for who you are, accepting yourself for what you are is easy.
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