This week is #mentalhealthawarenessweek 2019, courtesy of @mentalhealthfoundation and this year the theme is ‘Body Image- how we think and feel about our bodies’💚🙌
I think it’s safe to say that everyone experiences concerns about their body image at some point in their lives.
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Just over 1/3 of UK adults say they feel anxious or depressed because of their body image and 1 in 8 have even experienced suicidal thoughts due to these concerns. Last year, almost 1 in 3 people said they felt so stressed by their body image that they felt overwhelmed & unable to cope with day to day life. This mental strain can lead to severe mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders.
🔸 I have suffered with body dysmorphia for the majority of my life. I was bullied for the way that I looked as a child and, as a result, I developed an unhealthy relationship with food👎 I have been grossly overweight due to a struggle with binge eating, and I've been severely underweight due to an ongoing battle with anorexia.
🔸 Society conditions us to believe that the definition of beauty is flawless skin, long legs, thigh gaps, a big booty and flat stomachs. We see a lot of ‘body positive’ campaigns that call for representation of 'real women' in the media but the truth is, behind closed doors, the majority of us still take 100 selfies for every 1 that we post simply because ‘the lighting was off’ or ‘that angle makes me look fat’…Even for this post, I had my partner taking pictures and before I could stop myself, I found myself telling him ‘I just need one that I can make look good in photoshop’. As soon as I said it I realized that completely negated the point of what this post is about🤦♀️ How can I promote body positivity if I am intending to digitally nip and tuck everything into it’s ‘perfect’ place?!🤯 Realistically I know I am not fat. But my mind is screaming otherwise😖 As terrifying as this is for me I wanted to post a photo that showed my body in its natural form; unclothed and unedited. I may not feel sexy or beautiful...in fact I may be shitting my pretty purple pants right now...but the truth is that every body is beautiful as long as it is loved and cared for❤️🔥 #BeBodyKind
COURAGE --- Alice xxx
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