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