Negative Body Image: On a Scale of 1-10... No Scale

Imagine a culture in which a society logged onto computers to measure how it felt. A time, in which people were so disassociated from their bodies they would need a machine to dictate their emotional state.

That time is here. Culturally we have reached a point of disembodiment. We step on the scale and let a number tell us how we feel about ourselves. We measure grams and calories as an assessment of how healthy we feel paying  scant attention to how the foods we eat (or don’t eat!) actually make us feel.

97 percent of women have at least one self-loathing "I hate my body" moment per day regardless of their shape or size.

We all have an intuitive understanding that love of the body and love of life are inseparable. Our bodies are the gateways to our spirits and when we retaliate against the body, we lose the path to our deeper sense of self and purpose.

While modern culture measures feminine value by appearance, the deeper feminine aspect (within men as well) is about being embodied, ever changing, sensuous, heart-felt, soul oriented, and nourished.

When we feel that our bodies don’t meet the cultural expectations, we abandon them and live from our intellect (which isn’t always the kinder of the two!) By abandoning the body, we abandon the true feminine self.

Hating  the body, we pull out of it emotionally, energetically, and metabolically.

Matters of weight, impaired digestion, fatigue, low immunity, mood swings, depression, or anxiety, often originate in disembodiment. The stress physiology stemming from our negative body image can cause the diminishment of calorie and fat burning capabilities.

We must learn to be in our bodies on their own terms. We can love our bodies and still want it to change them. But if we say to ourselves “I’ll only love you when you look a certain way,” it is like saying “I’ll only get in the car after it reaches its destination.” It’s an impossible journey if we’re not present for the ride.

Eliminate the practices that support the surface feminine. De-number yourself so that you’re not relying on something outside of you to tell you if you’re okay. When it comes to body image numbers numb us.  Looking to a machine to tell us how to feel is a form of insanity.

Eat for nourishment, not for appearance. Take away the scales and feel each day how your body feels. Move in ways that feel therapeutic (stop hating yourself into exercise and move in ways that you enjoy,) slow down during meals (yes the benefits far outweigh the discomfort,) and take a break from friends who self-loathe.

How many grams of love in a single serving?

Anna Lynne McCord: How Authentic Living Heals Body Image

I first heard of Anna Lynne McCord (an actress on the new 90210) a few weeks ago when she decided to tweet her face without makeup, writing: “I woke up this morning and decided I’m over Hollywood’s perfection requirement. To all my girls (and boys) who have ever been embarrassed by their skin! I salute you! I’m not perfect – and that’s okay with me!”

This got me thinking about the relationship between body image and authentic living.

Most of us hide our authenticity. We hide our blemishes, our curves, our insecurities, and our feelings.

When we are being inauthentic, we instantly shut down to divert away from the surfacing discomfort. Pretending to be anything rather than what we are numbs us out. Similarly when we hate our body, we abandon it. We divert into our intellectual selves where feelings can be concealed.

We have the same coping mechanisms for both negative body image and inauthentic living. We emotionally and energetically disembody.

Inauthenticity comes when we feel we can’t speak our minds with our superiors, when we pretend things are not hurtful even though they are, when we hide our vulnerability, when we smile and say “good” when people ask us how we’re doing.  

The numbing effect of inauthentic living conceals our connection to the greater source. Our path to purpose resides within the body and with no connection to it; the body transforms from being our greatest tool to being our greatest hindrance. Intuitively connecting purpose to body, we channel our dissatisfaction with not feeling purposeful into body hate. 

The more authentic we become, the more embodied we become. Embodiment is the number one method for healing negative body image.

While Anna Lynne McCord may have spoken up about body image, the embodiment didn’t come from revealing her looks, it came from speaking her truth. By speaking her truth, she took a step forward into self-acceptance, inspiring others to do the same.

I guess 90210 still has something to offer long after the days of Brandon and Brenda Walsh.