Body image and gender are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain gender, and gender frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Gender
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives gender
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary gender trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as gender
How Gender Affects Body Image
Gender 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 Gender 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 gender
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and gender