What is body image?

Body image can relate to all areas of our identity – this may include our gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability, and more! It can be about our size, skin, hair, and/or our abilities. Depending on who we are, we may feel different pressures to look or be a certain way.

What impacts our body image?

We live in a world that has an opinion on everything we do – what hairstyle we have, how we should dress, what size we should be, and what our skin should look like. The list is endless.

These pressures have been around for a very long time and they can impact how we view ourselves. They can come from our childhood/upbringing, social media, friends, TV and films, books etc. Sometimes the messages are very obvious, but often they are hidden and a bit sneaky!

How might it impact you?

If you’re feeling the pressure to look or be a certain way, it may lead you to feel low in confidence, have negative thoughts about yourself, and engage in behaviours in an attempt to change your appearance.