Learning how to love yourself
Body shaming, meaning to negatively comment on someone’s body, is a form of bullying that affects all kinds of people. These days there are more places than ever to get shaming comments which negatively impact our feelings about ourselves. With unrealistic beauty standards blasted out 24-7 on social media, anyone can be forgiven for not always liking what they see in the mirror these days. It’s no wonder conditions like body dysmorphic disorder are on the rise. It’s pretty much a public health crisis at this point, but acknowledging the problem is the first step to turning this ship around!
How to build self-esteem
Getting on top of this starts with each and every one of us developing more compassion for ourselves and for others. If you’ve experienced body shaming, it’s normal to feel hurt, angry, or sad. Learning about how to build self esteem can help us build resilience against this kind of bullying. Reach out to friends, family members or support groups that can offer understanding and empathy.
Does social media make you feel bad about your body?
Try to be conscious about your social media habits and surround yourself with positivity, whether that’s your friendship group or the things you watch and listen to. We know that social media can make use feel bad about our bodies. Learn about how to protect your mental health online to avoid getting carried away by the constant images of unrealistic beauty stands we’re exposed to. Read our article on low self esteem to get tips on how to improve your self-worth if it’s taken a hit.
A guide to self care
When you’re beating yourself up about the way you look, think about how you’d treat a friend who told you they were having similar thoughts. Would you add to the negative comments they’re already telling themselves, or would you offer some understanding, empathy and encouragement? Read our guide to self care and how to make a self care toolkit to learn how to practice self care and develop better habits towards yourself.
Support for body shaming
If you’ve been body shamed or bullied about your appearance, remember it’s only a reflection of the bully, it’s nothing to do with you or the way you look. You can always speak to us here at The Mix if you need someone to talk to. We’re to listen to and support you via our daily helpline, webchat and 24/7 crisis messenger.
My story of body confidence
We chatted with Alice Hurel about modelling and how it helped her deal with alopecia to get body confident.
