A person’s body image can change over the course of a lifetime due to several different factors. As adults, we face more complex challenges that affect our body image concerns. It is necessary to acknowledge what our body has supported us through and develop an appreciation for the uniqueness of our bodies.
By: Shuchen Hu
Why Is Overcoming Body Image Concerns Important for Adults?
Body image, or feelings or thoughts about one’s body and how we perceive ourselves, can vary across the developmental pathway. It is a perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and physical experience influenced by external and internal factors. People may experience body image concerns very differently across their lifespan.
Many factors can make body image concerns unique for adults as opposed to teenagers, including age-related changes, life priority shifts, and societal expectations and beauty standards for adults. Research has consistently reported body dissatisfaction as a strong predictor for eating disorders, emphasizing the importance of recognizing body image concerns and treating them promptly. With some tips from research, we can help you overcome these body image issues as an adult.
What Do Body Image Concerns Look Like in Adulthood?
First, it is important to recognize unique factors influencing body image concerns in adulthood. With the natural aging process, people may start noticing small changes in their bodies, such as wrinkles, skin loosening, loss of muscle mass, etc. These age-related body changes cause a natural shift away from what society views as the beauty standard: the thin-young ideal. Although both people of all genders experience age-related changes, women are at a higher risk due to more hormonal changes and societal pressure. Research has shown that age alone predicts a decrease in body dissatisfaction in men, and body image concerns stayed higher in women than in men across their lifespan, making women more vulnerable to developing body image concerns and related issues. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of unrealistic societal expectations on bodies, and learn to seek help when needed.
Below are ways to help overcome body image struggles as an adult:
Write Your Own Beauty Standards
Into adulthood and as you continue to age, write your own list of things that make you feel healthy, beautiful, and connected to your body. Try to write a list of traits and features not solely linked to your physical appearance, but also related to your character. By separating your standards from something purely physical, you can learn to develop an appreciation for your body unrelated to how you look.
Be Mindful of Social Media Use
Social media has been found to impact body image more than traditional mass media, making it important to be mindful of who we follow on social media. As adults, we have more freedom and power in selecting our surroundings. Unfollow or unfriend people on social media that negatively impact your body image.
Seek Help and Treatment
Open up about your concerns with people who genuinely love and support you, and practice looking at your body from their perspectives. Therapy is always helpful and commonly used to treat body image issues. Identify your body image feelings with a professional and start your healing journey by developing a kinder and more accepting view of your body.
At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center™, we understand the complexities of eating disorders and provide you with comprehensive and necessary tools to help you on your recovery journey. The objectives of our weekly Body Image Group include gaining insight into the relationship with one’s body and how eating disorder behaviors and urges are often a result of how emotions manifest in one’s physical body. Click here to learn more about this group.
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References
Fardouly, J., & Vartanian, L. R. (2016). Social media and body image concerns: Current research and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.09.005
Kilpela, L. S., Becker, C. B., Wesley, N., & Stewart, T. (2015). Body Image in Adult Women: Moving Beyond the Younger Years. Advances in eating disorders (Abingdon, England ), 3(2), 144–164. https://doi.org/10.1080/21662630.2015.1012728
Quittkat, H. L., Hartmann, A. S., Düsing, R., Buhlmann, U., & Vocks, S. (2019). Body Dissatisfaction, Importance of Appearance, and Body Appreciation in Men and Women Over the Lifespan. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00864
This post was written by BALANCE Blog Contributor, Shuchen Hu (she/her).
Shuchen is a master’s student majoring in clinical psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in food science and psychology from Rutgers University and developed a strong passion for the intersection of both fields, which led her to research eating disorders. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, weightlifting, and traveling. She is planning to get a Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology and focus her professional career on eating disorder research and treatments.
