Body Confidence Week was developed in response to a report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Body Image, which highlighted that low body confidence is a critical public health issue, damaging lives and affecting more than 60% of the UK population. Body confidence, low self esteem and other mental health issues that can be developed from this is a massive rising problem in the UK.
What is the key to body confidence?
Having researched, from experience, talking to other individuals who suffer from body image problem, the key is find your happy self. This isn’t necessarily just happy with how you look, this covers a wider concept of overall “well-being”. Every aspect of your life can affect your body confidence:
– Job
– Friends
– Home Life
– Partner
– Stress Levels
– Illness (common colds – more severe illnesses)
– Body weight
– Body Shape
There are so many factors that can affect your overall body confidence.
This is from a government document on Body Confidence Week:
What causes low body confidence?
While popular culture is a key factor in body confidence, it does not explain why some people sustain resilience and confidence while others do not. There are a range of social, cultural, psychological and biological factors that influence body image – which is why the Body Confidence Campaign seeks to improve resilience and aspiration, as well as acting on harmful cultural messages.
Psychological Factors
Low Self-esteem
Depression
Perfectionism
Need for external approval
Body comparison tendencies
Internalisation of body ideals
Appearance schemas
Objectifying the body/embodiment
Socio-Cultural Factors: Cultural and social norms
Ideal image of beauty
Importance of meeting the ideal image
Transmitted through
Media
Parents
Peers
Professionals
Communication styles
Pressure to meet the ideal
Teasing and negative commentary
Suggesting ways to meet the ideal
Sexual objectification
Fat talk
Cyber-communication
Biological Factors – Genetic influences
Body size and shape
Rate of development
Perceptual distortions
Pubertal changes
Gender differentiation
Rate of development (breast development, body
As a way of raising awareness of body image problems in public, sport and to help push forward body confidence, I will be participating in body confidence week so keep checking on:
www.facebook.com/jaynenisbetpersonaltraining
www.twitter.co.uk/jaynenisbetPT
www.yourbestversion.co.uk
Jayne x