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