- "Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body."
The social and cultural constructs of the body, including how they are used to reinforce power dynamics and social norms.
Gender identity: Understanding the nuances and complexities of gender as a social and cultural construct beyond the binary of male and female.
Sexuality: Exploring the social and cultural structures surrounding human sexuality and sexual orientation.
Disability studies: Examining the social model of disability, the impact of discrimination and stigma on people with disabilities and the disability rights movement.
Intersectionality: Understanding how different aspects of social identity (such as gender, class, race, ability, sexuality, etc.) intersect and interacts with one another.
Body image: The relationship between body size, shape, and appearance, and how it is constructed and perpetuated by society and media.
Fat studies: Examining the impact of fatphobia, sizeism, and weight stigma on individuals and society as a whole.
Mental health: Looking at the social and cultural attitudes towards mental illness and the role of mental health in the construction of gender and sexuality.
Reproductive rights: Understanding the social and political aspect of reproductive health and rights, including access to abortion and contraception.
Toxic masculinity: Exploring the societal pressure on men to conform to strict gender roles and expectations, and the negative impact it has on both men and women.
Feminist theory: Examining the role of gender in society and the ways in which gender affects different aspects of life.
Queer theory: Exploring the nuances and complexities of non-heterosexual identities and the impact of social norms on the queer community.
Racism and Ableism: Understanding how racism and ableism intersect with gender and sexuality to perpetuate discrimination and perpetuate inequality.
Transgender and non-binary identities: Examining the experiences and challenges faced by those who identify as non-binary or transgender, including access to healthcare, employment, and daily life.
Disability activism and advocacy: Learning about the work and contributions of various disability rights movements and the struggles and challenges they face today.
Queer and feminist activism: Understanding the role of activism in promoting social change and creating a more inclusive society for all.
- "The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, philosophy, cultural and feminist studies."
- "Across these disciplines, there is no single consensus definition."
- "Body image consists of the ways people view themselves; their memories, experiences, assumptions, and comparisons about their own appearances; and their overall attitudes towards their own respective heights, shapes, and weights—all of which are shaped by prevalent social and cultural ideals."
- "Body image can be negative ('body negativity') or positive ('body positivity')."
- "In a time where social media holds a very important place and is used frequently in our daily lives, people of different ages are affected emotionally and mentally by the appearance and body size/shape ideals set by the society they live in."
- "These standards created and changed by society created a world filled with body shaming; the act of humiliating an individual by mocking or making critical comments about a person's physiological appearance."
- "Such behavior creates body dissatisfaction and higher risks of eating disorders, isolation, and mental illnesses in the long term."
- "In eating disorders, a negative body image may also lead to body image disturbance, an altered perception of the whole one's body."
- "Body dissatisfaction also characterizes body dysmorphic disorder, an obsessive-compulsive disorder defined by concerns about some specific aspect of one's body which is severely flawed and warrants exceptional measures to hide or fix."
- "Often, people who have a low body image will try to alter their bodies in some way, such as by dieting or by undergoing cosmetic surgery."
- "Many factors contribute to a person's body image, including family dynamics, mental illness, biological predispositions and environmental causes for obesity or malnutrition, and cultural expectations (e.g., media and politics)."
- "People who are either underweight or overweight can have poor body image."
- "those who are normal or overweight on the BMI scale have higher risks of poor body image."
- "A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association found that a culture-wide sexualization of girls and women was contributing to increased female anxiety associated with body image."
- "An Australian government Senate Standing Committee report on the sexualization of children in the media reported similar findings associated with body image."
- "However, other scholars have expressed concern that these claims are not based on solid data."
- "All of which are shaped by prevalent social and cultural ideals."
- "A person with a negative body image may feel self-conscious or ashamed, and may feel that others are more attractive."
- "On the other hand, positive body image consists of perceiving one's figure clearly and correctly, celebrating and appreciating one's body, and understanding that one's appearance does not reflect one's character or worth."