By: Natasha Archary
We all have them. The parts of our bodies we hate, which constantly weigh us down and have an impact on how we view ourselves.
Men and women both have insecurities about their physical appearance. Most women hate parts of their bodies which they call “problem areas” and these are often what stops them from wearing certain types of clothing.
It’s also what stops women from being confident in their bodies whilst intimate with their partners.
Body dysmorphia in men exists too, with men insecure about their height, weight, size and length of their penis and lack of muscles.
Women beat themselves up over their “mom-bellies”, saggy breasts, stretchmarks and cellulite.
Physical attractiveness, sex appeal, beauty it’s all subjective anyway and yet everyday there are women AND men who are under constant scrutiny for looking “different”.
Why is different such a bad thing? It isn’t, it’s just that we’re caught up in the hype of living up to Instagram standards so we view everyone under the same microscopic lens of vanity.
Being self critical can hold you back
Habouring a sense of hatred for your body can lead to short and long term psychological and other health-related issues.
Body dysmorphia is a serious condition where you’re highly critical of your physical appearance.
Professor Harrison Pope, at Harvard Medical School, Psychiatry and co-author of The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Body Obsession says, “More than ever men are struggling with the same enormous pressure to achieve physical perfection that women have dealt with for centuries.”
From wanting to be a size zero and taking the drastic steps to achieve this, to compulsive weightlifting and steroid use in order to bulk up or quickly cut down weight, men and women have parts of their body they don’t like the appearance of.
Common features men dislike about themselves
- Hair loss
- Beer Belly
- Soft arms
- Short
- Hairy chest or back
- Skinny legs
- No muscles
Common features women dislike about themselves
- Saggy breasts
- Stretchmarks
- Belly fat
- Jiggly thighs
- Cellulite
- Pigmentation
Also read: Here is how to lose weight without dieting
