Body image and fantasies are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain fantasies, and fantasies frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Fantasies
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives fantasies
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary fantasies trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as fantasies
How Fantasies Affects Body Image
Fantasies can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Fantasies Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by fantasies
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and fantasies