Introduction
Wellness refers to the act of practicing healthy habits daily to achieve better physical and mental health. Is not just waiting to get sick to do something about it, is preventing it daily to live in harmony with ourselves, society, and our surroundings. According to the World Health Organization health is defined as not only the absence of sickness but also the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being (Pappadopulos, 2020). According to a module developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual. Its base is that if people can maintain a balance between these eight dimensions they are on the right path to be happier and healthier.
Body image is more than what we see in the mirror. Body image is also related to the mental picture that we have of our body and how we feel when we look at our body in the mirror. We can say that body image has influenced modern society greatly. Nowadays social media and society make us more cautious and concerned about how we look and how see ourselves. Even if the views projected by society of how we should look are wrong it impacts our self-esteem in a great manner.
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Lens Connections
· History
If we look at sculptures and artworks throughout history, we can see how beauty was represented as curvaceous and thicker bodies. From prehistory to the 1900’s the woman's body was represented as full-figured silhouettes, with round, pear-shaped bodies. It is unclear if this represented beauty or fertility. In this past century, the norms or what was considered beauty was thin, waif-like model body type (Howard, 2018). The 1920s and 1980s were the period where a woman to be considered beautiful had to be skinny (Howard, 2018). The bust-to-waist ratio promoted the idea that skinny was equal to beauty. Although today, what is considered beautiful is shapely backsides. After the 2010s, there was a shift where body diversity was celebrated. Also, even though body image was a term associated with women, nowadays days men are equally concerned about how they see themselves and how society sees them.
· Humanities
Body image is a fundamental piece in humanities. Social media, which is a fundamental part of humanities, has helped to create a more understanding and inclusive environment for all body shapes (King Univ, 2019). But also, it can hurt people’s perception of their bodies, and it can create anxiety in users comparing their bodies to the appearance of others.
· Natural and applied sciences
“People who experience high levels of body dissatisfaction feel their bodies are flawed in comparison to others, and these folks are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and eating disorders” (NEDA, 2018). When a person develops an eating disorder it puts their lives at risk and causes severe damage to their physical and mental health. Another aspect of science that is affected by body image is medicine. Many people resort to aesthetic surgery to “correct” any part of their body they are not satisfied with. “Body image dissatisfaction is a feature of several psychiatric disorders, from eating disorders and depression to gender identity disorder and schizophrenia” (Sarwer, 2008). Body image and self-esteem are tightly connected with mental health, when you like your body, you can value yourself and this has a positive impact on the individual mental health and vice versa.
· Social Sciences
Social sciences refer to the study of society and the relationships between people. Society and special the media have a great impact on an individual perception of themselves. Being bombarded with images of how we should look can drastically affect negatively our body image. “The media is a powerful tool that reinforces our values, and while it may not be fully responsible for determining the standards of physical attractiveness, escaping those images we see is impossible” (Torrisi, 2018). Is important to have a positive network of family and friends to help build a positive body image.
Resources:
- Howard, J. (2018). The history of the “ideal” woman and where that has left us. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/07/health/body-image-history-of-beauty-explainer-intl/index.html
- NEDA. (2018). Body Image & Eating Disorders. NEDA. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-eating-disorders
- Pappadopulos, E. (2020). What is wellness? Pfizer.com. Retrieved from https://www.pfizer.com/health-wellness/wellness/what-is-wellness#:~:text=Wellness%20is%20the%20act%20of,how%20it's%20linked%20to%20health.
- Sarwer, D. (2008). Body Image: Interfacing Behavioral and Medical Science. Aesthetic Surgery Journal. Retrieved from https://watermark.silverchair.com/28-3-357.pdf?
- Torrisi, J. (2018). Body Image-Self Esteem – Influence of Society. Medium.com. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@juliettorrisi1/body-image-self-esteem-influence-of-society-565df66ac155
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