UC CANTA MAG ISSUE FIVE- Body Image, BMI and Feelin’ Yo’self

Let’s start off with the absolute rubbish reference all health professionals like to use – BMI, Body Mass Index (or, as I like to call it, a Bloody Miserable Integer). Developed by the Belgium in the 1800s, the BMI was introduced and rolled-out as a form of measuring human body weight and height that was meant to only be used for population – not individual – comparisons. Over time, it has become the default in many medical practices to determine whether someone is of a “healthy” or “unhealthy” weight for their height – failing to take into account an individual’s age, sex, ethnicity, muscle-mass, bone-density, or genetics. There are such a large number who would be classified as “overweight” or even “obese” on the BMI scale, but I don’t think that anyone would use such terms when describing tennis ace Serena Williams, the All Blacks, or Chris Hemsworth (aka. Thor).

This leads me on to the topic of feeling good in yourself. Contrary to what social medial and society dominantly portray, bad body image and lacking body confidence is not something exempt from the male population. We are constantly fixated with the idea of being better; and while this doesn’t appear bad on paper, when applied to our looks or satisfaction about ourselves, it soon turns into fairly big shitstorm that will lead you nowhere good.

For years I chased the ‘perfect’ body, but then I realised that even the body I was chasing, ended up wishing they were someone else. The body I craved changed its shape in my head in accordance to societal trends and modern fashion. A harsh dose of reality was certainly slapped in my face.

Why the heck should we spend our time hating the way we look, longing for changes and adjustments that are either unhealthy or impossible? What has our body done to us that deserves it to be treated like absolute scum? You think people are looking and thinking about what you look like? You think that any decent person is going say ‘yes’ to a date due to the to let the size of your waist or how defined your abs are? I’ll answer these for you – GOD NO.

Want a few tips on how to begin to heal your relationship with your body and start feelin’ yo’self? (heads out of the gutter guys…)

• Find worth in your life beyond your physical appearance. Dive into that pottery or cooking fetish, learn more about your flatties beyond their first name and degree, pick up one of your textbooks and actually give studying a crack, give exercise a crack where the goal isn’t to burn calories and sweat the self-hatred away.

• Realise that no amount of weight loss or muscle gain will end the negative feelings and horrid self-talk you have about yourself.

• If your partner makes you feel shit about your body, or comments negatively about your appearance, or fails to see who you are beyond your physical assets – ditch them, no one needs or deserves that sort of shit in their life

• Begin to talk about your body in the same way you’d talk about best mate’s – would you say all of the digs and nasty comments about your body to them? I don’t think so.

• You don’t need to turn all #bodypositive – but rather realise that there is so much more to you that the size of your thighs or muscle definition, there is nothing wrong with being body neutral.

Mental Illness Myth-buster: You can exercise and spot reduce those areas you don’t like

Whether you perceive your thighs, tum, bum, or arms to be the issue with how your body looks, I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you – but there is no golden amount of crunches you can do to get you ripped abs, nor can you donkey kick your way to a perky bum. Your body has a genetically predisposition in the structure and look it will naturally have, and if it isn’t in your genes, it’s going to be damn hard to make it happen. You should really think about the reasons as to why you believe you need to change the way you look – and hopefully come to the conclusion that it is not the body that needs to change, but rather your perception of it and the belief that there is something wrong with it.

Your friend, Rawing Meg

xx