What you need to know
- Weight-focused conversations and trends can make it harder for some people to feel comfortable with their bodies.
- You can support a healthier body image by being intentional about social media use, practicing body-neutral thinking, setting boundaries around weight and diet conversations, and focusing on what your body does for you.
- If body image concerns cause significant distress or affect your eating, relationships, or daily life, consider talking to a mental health professional.
Over the past two years, the percentage of U.S. adults using injectable GLP-1 medications for weight loss has nearly quadrupled. Seeing more people lose weight, both online and in your personal life, may bring up uncomfortable feelings about your own body, whether you take a GLP-1 medication or not.
“For some people, GLP-1 medications can improve health and even reduce distress around food and weight,” California-based psychologist and registered dietitian Dr. Supatra Tovar tells Public Good News. “But for others, seeing an increasing number of people becoming thinner can intensify comparison, body dissatisfaction, and the sense that they are somehow failing if their own body does not look the same.”
“It seems like everywhere you turn there’s an ad online for a weight loss medication or a sports star, influencer, or actor who suddenly seems dramatically thinner,” Dr. Jennie Ozan, psychologist and co-owner of Intuitive Counseling in Charleston, South Carolina, says. “This [trend] has made it more difficult for people, especially our clients who have been working hard on body image, to accept their own bodies. Because the people they have looked up to for embracing a larger body are now shrinking their bodies, our clients are wondering, ‘Should I be losing weight, too?’”
If you’re struggling with body image, here are practical steps you can take to build a healthier relationship with your body.
What is body image?
Body image is the way you think and feel about your body. It can shape how you feel when you see yourself in a mirror, how you view your appearance and size, and your self-esteem.
If you’re struggling with body image, you might feel shame or anxiety about how you look.
“Someone who is struggling with body image might spend a lot of time checking their appearance in the mirror, comparing themselves to others, or avoiding mirrors altogether,” Ozan explains. “They might also spend a lot of time trying to change their appearance in order to feel better about their body.”
“You may also see changes in eating or exercise behaviors, such as restricting food, rigid food rules, excessive exercise, or feeling guilty after eating,” Tovar adds. “The biggest concern is when body image distress starts interfering with daily life, relationships, work, social activities, intimacy, or the ability to eat and care for yourself normally.”
How can I improve my body image?
Limit or change how you use social media
“Social media can amplify body image concerns tremendously because it creates a constant stream of comparison,” Tovar says. “We are no longer comparing ourselves just to people in our lives. We are comparing ourselves to hundreds or thousands of curated, filtered, edited, posed, and increasingly AI-enhanced images every day.”
Pay attention to how you feel after spending time on social media. If certain accounts, posts, or trends make you feel worse about your body, consider unfollowing, muting them, or taking a break.
You can also “work on changing your algorithm,” Ozan says. Follow accounts that promote body acceptance or have nothing to do with bodies or appearance. This can help fill your feed with content that supports a healthier relationship with your body instead of prompting comparison.
Practice body-neutral thinking
Experts acknowledge that you don’t have to love your body every day to have a healthier body image. While body positivity encourages you to feel good about your body, body neutrality focuses on accepting your body without judging it as good or bad.
“Work on noticing negative thoughts about your body and changing them to neutral thoughts,” Ozan says.
Instead of thinking, “I hate how my body looks today,” you might try, “My body works hard and deserves kindness.” The goal isn’t to force yourself to feel positive about your body but to practice thinking about it with less judgment.
“Ultimately, the goal is to move from constantly evaluating your body from the outside to learning how to inhabit it from the inside,” Tovar says.
Set boundaries around conversations about weight and bodies
Hearing others talk about weight, dieting, and body changes can be difficult, especially if those topics affect how you feel about your own body.
“Conversations [about weight loss] can definitely be tricky and triggering for those struggling with body image, disordered eating, and/or an eating disorder,” Ozan says.
You don’t have to participate in conversations that make you uncomfortable.
“It’s okay to advocate for yourself and let those you are with know you aren’t comfortable talking about diets, weight, [or] bodies and suggest another subject,” Ozan emphasizes. You might say, “I’d rather not talk about weight” or simply redirect the conversation.
If you’re with people you don’t know well or don’t feel comfortable speaking up around, it’s also okay to step away. Ozan suggests excusing yourself for a few minutes, taking some deep breaths, and giving yourself a moment before rejoining the conversation.
Focus on what your body does for you
You don’t have to feel positive about every part of your body to appreciate what it does for you, Ozan says. Focusing on what your body allows you to do can help shift some attention away from how it looks.
Your body might help you hike, carry groceries, cook a meal, play with kids or pets, or get through a busy day.
When should I get help for body image concerns?
“I would encourage someone to seek professional support when body image concerns are causing significant distress or beginning to interfere with daily functioning,” Tovar says. “That might mean avoiding social situations, intimacy, photographs, certain clothing, eating in front of others, or activities you used to enjoy. It might mean spending a significant amount of time thinking about your weight or appearance, frequently checking your body, repeatedly seeking reassurance, or allowing your weight to determine your self-worth.”
Tovar also recommends seeking support if body image concerns lead to harmful eating or exercise behaviors, like restricting food, binge eating, purging, or exercising beyond your body’s limits.
“You do not have to wait until things become severe,” Tovar says. “Therapy can be incredibly helpful earlier, when someone notices that their relationship with their body is becoming more critical, obsessive, or painful.”
Find mental health resources near you from SAMHSA. Learn more about body image from the National Eating Disorders Association and Project HEAL.