Body Image And Societal Pressures


I went to a women’s pro tennis tournament and I was sitting and watching some doubles. Two older women sat beside me and they commented on one of the female players on the court. They thought that the skirt that the player was wearing was too sheer and inappropriate. Later, they went on to comment on how short she is and how she could possibly be a professional tennis player with her height. 

 

I had to say something because in my opinion, the woman they were commenting on is probably one of the best doubles player in the court. How she presented herself, as well as her physical attributes, should not be the basis of being a good tennis player. 

 

I said something because it was embarrassing to hear them talk such way and because we were just five feet away from the court and they weren’t really intent on keeping what they were talking about to themselves. They didn’t keep their voices low and did not mind being heard by people near them.  

 

Recognizing How I Also Judged Body Images 

 

It was disappointing to hear these women judge another player because we were there to watch the game and not comment on the players. This incident made me look back on the times when I was judgmental against other people. I still judge others based on their body, but I am quick to catch myself and redirect my thoughts. 

 

Unlearning How Society Looks At Body Images 

 

Our society has been wired to look at people’s bodies and have a lot of comments about it. To make an example, I grew up as a dancer and I got into ballet. There is a whole ugly world in ballet when it comes to body shaming and needing to look a certain way. In my own family, when I was growing up, I’ve heard comments on other people’s bodies and these are some of the things that are already in my brain. However, I knew I had to unlearn them and be respectful of everyone’s bodies. 

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I also had to unlearn being passive in moments when I hear people make comments on other people’s bodies. We have to speak up! I hope that the women I encountered during that tennis match were able to reflect on the things they said and realize that it’s not the best thing to be commenting on people’s bodies. 

 

Body Image In Physical Therapy 

 

So many of my female clients come to me telling me that they want to change their body and asking me if they should work out more or eat differently. I tell them that nutrition and moving your body is important, but sometimes genetics make our bodies look different from each other. We cannot look a certain way because we do not have the genes to look the way we want to look. 

 

I also get asked a lot because I am a skinny white woman and many of my clients want to know why I look the way I look. Honestly, it’s just genetics. 

 

How Body Image Affects Getting Better From An Injury Or How It Can Cause An Injury 

 

Conversations about body image can actually affect how you deal with injury or how you get better from it. If you are not accepting of your body, it can make pain sometimes continue on. You need to have a level of acceptance to be able to move forward from injury. 

 

On the other hand, I also see a lot of people getting injured because they decided to work out so much to try to change their body. When this happens, they stop listening to the needs of their body and they stay in the frame of thinking that they need to be thin. They get injured because they do not want to stop even if their body already needs rest. Rest is important, but those who are struggling with their body image would undergo a heavy phase of exercising. Instead of listening to their body needing rest, what they hear is the judgment they tell themselves that they are fat or that they are lazy when they do not exercise. 

 

I am a proponent of exercising because it’s great for longevity of your life and your mood. But, it should not be used as a form of punishment just because you do not like the way your body looks. 

 

What I Did To Change My Views Around Body Image 

 

First is practicing awareness. This means you are aware when you are having judgmental thoughts about other people’s bodies whether you say it to yourself only or to someone else. You have to catch yourself in those moments and you have to change your thought. 

 

I did this because I realized that if we are highly judgmental of other people’s bodies, it also affects how we see our own body self-image. Practicing letting go of judging others will help us have better image of ourselves. 

 

Another thing is expressing gratitude for our body. If you do exercise consistently, you have to acknowledge yourself that you moved your body. You can also express something that you like about your body to help curb your image of your body. 

 

Lastly, be gracious to yourself. If others cannot be, be kind to your own body. Once you do that, you will also be kind to other people’s bodies.

 

Final Thoughts 

 

All bodies are bodies and there’s nothing to change, fix, or judge about it. Body images have been ingrained in our brains by the society and it will take some time for you to unlearn that.  Take it one step at a time and keep my tips in mind as you go through that journey. 

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