Hey there. Body image should be personal. You should be your own body standard, not an idea created by someone else. Yet, throughout life, most of us have tried to conform to different beauty or fitness ideals without even realizing it. Where do these standards come from?
It starts with marketing. Companies decide on an image, attach a message to it, and sell it to us over and over again. That’s what marketing is, eliciting a response, usually an emotional one, to make a product or idea more appealing. The problem is, when these messages are about how you should look, they can shape your self-image in ways that don’t align with who you are or what actually matters to you.
I don’t want that for you. And I say this as someone who works in marketing. Instead of following a body standard set by someone in a boardroom, I want you to be your own standard. I want you to define your own relationship with your body and decide what feels right for you.
This shift starts with how you talk to yourself. The way you see yourself is reinforced by your internal dialogue. When you look in the mirror and have a negative thought, you have a choice. Are you going to believe it, or are you going to step back and challenge it? Every time you reinforce a positive belief, you take back control of your self-image.
A big part of this is how we consume media. Everything you watch, read, or scroll through is telling a story. Social media, movies, fitness ads…each one reinforces an idea about what’s attractive, acceptable, or desirable. If you constantly see content that makes you feel insecure, it’s time to change your consumption habits. Unfollow accounts that make you feel like you’re not enough. Curate your feed with people who represent diversity, confidence, and real life.
You also need to give yourself space. You won’t always feel confident, and that’s okay. The key is to pull yourself back to the present as quickly as possible. Maybe you notice a negative thought in three minutes and shift it. Maybe it takes three hours or three days. What matters is that you recognize it and bring yourself back to reinforcing the belief that you define your own standard.
For me, this process was life-changing. I was born with Cerebral Palsy, which means my body doesn’t move in the way it naturally would if I didn’t have this condition. I spent years trying to fit into standards that weren’t made for me. Eventually, I realized that chasing someone else’s ideal was exhausting and unfulfilling. The only way forward was to define my own standard, one that focused on what my body could do, how I felt, and what I valued.
You can do the same. Make the choice to see yourself differently. Reinforce that belief with how you speak to yourself, how you treat your body, and what you consume. If you’re ready to go deeper into this process, join The YLF Experience. Let’s build your confidence from the inside out!