Own Your Body

The proliferation of social media and the homogenisation of beauty have given rise to a global epidemic of dissatisfaction with the body, with grave consequences, particularly for youngsters. How can we overcome this universal malaise and develop a healthy body image? Navni Chawla explores.

- Navni Chawla

"I have struggled with my body. Sometimes, I feel insecure in my own skin. There is no gap between my thighs, which is something the media keeps harping on. That makes me feel like I am not normal or beautiful," shares Shubha Sharma, a Delhi-based 16-year-old school student. Sara Jain, 20, a college student from Delhi, shared that her weight fluctuated so much that stretch marks developed on different parts of her body, namely, the legs, hips, and waist, making her diffident about wearing shorts and skirts. Rohan Gambhir, 23, a software engineer at Infosys, Bangalore, shares, "I have become an angry person because of my baldness. I started losing hair very early in life, and my parents did not pay attention to it. Now, I need to go through painful hair transplant treatments. Else, I will have to live looking like this, which is also painful."

Do you have a habit of obsessively checking your body by looking into the mirror frequently or weighing yourself constantly? Does thinking about food and exercise worsen your mood? Do you wear loose or oversized clothes to camouflage your body? Do you often compare your body with others and feel unhappy? When you look in the mirror, do you always see flaws that need fixing? If the answer to all these questions is yes, then you struggle with how you perceive your body. How you see your body and the feelings you associate with that perception forms your body image. According to a survey conducted by the Be Real Campaign, about one in three young people are reported to have serious concerns about their appearance. A positive body image establishes a healthy relationship with one's body. Poor body image or body dissatisfaction leads to a higher rate of eating and mood disorders in individuals. Research shows that women experience more body dissatisfaction than men.