How is your Body Image and
Self Esteem impacted on by
Photoshop Images?

Your body image and self esteem are intimately tied together ...especially women and body image, but increasingly for the male body image too.

Let's consider what we're really seeing. Firstly, often what we're seeing is a body double. Just check out how they did this nifty little bit of photo-shopping on Oprah

• taller than the average woman,
• way skinnier than Ms average (often below what she should be to be medically healthy)
• and already has a knock-out body.
...and ps... she usually hasn't had children either, and because modeling is her profession she has the best photographers, taking her picture under the most ideal conditions, a hair stylist, a make-up artist, time to go to gym etc.. etc...

So what happens when we compare ourselves to Ms 16 to 24 year old Ms apparently Perfect? Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that our body image and self-esteem plummet - along with our body image problems taking an upward hike.

But wait - it gets worse.....Not only is our heightened body awareness also impacted by body comparison but lets photoshop images into a state of zero defect and whoa, the stakes for women and body image and the male body image definitely get a whole lot higher.

Now, not only are we comparing with non average ideals - but we're competing with photoshopped images that are flagrantly unrealistic! No wonder anorexia and bulimia are so rife.

So we might ask, how prevalent are photoshop images? You may be surprised to find out that nowadays we hardly see any images that aren't photoshopped! Just take a look at this video clipping!

And it's not unique to women either. Don't think that the images you see gracing Male orientated magazine covers does much for the body image and self-esteem of Mr. Average either. The average photoshop images of men have had their pecs enhanced, more washboard abs added and not to mention a bit of tweaking done to their biceps too!

For example, do you remember the pumped up version of the tennis player, Andy Roddick on a 2007 cover of cover of Men's Health Magazine?

So guess what they did a body switch on him too and the fact that he doesn't mind, but thinks it's funny that they didn't deem his own body good enough - says a lot! (Frankly I find it refreshing)

And on one online poll of 42 422 people 93% of people thought his body had been doctored. But how many of us actually remember that when we're blithely flipping through a magazine and feeling increasingly body aware - aware that we don't match up, that is!

So, it's no wonder that Bigorexia (also known as the Adonis complex) - a type of Muscle dysmorphia is growing at an alarming pace as men try to keep up with these images.

The bottom line? Take what you see in pictures with a BIG pinch of salt and whatever you do... if you want a and a backlash against photoshop images and good body image, don't indulge in body comparison with media images. You'll never find yourself on the winning side. It's time for a beauty revolution and a backlash against photoshop images and measuring our worth according to our body.

Return from Body Image and Self Esteem to Boost Self Esteem
Return to Homepage

If you find the ditch-diets-live-light website useful, please recommend it to your friends.

Best Weight Products	Your opinion for a free e.course		Your Story/Poem & Feedback	Our community & newsletter

Custom Search

And hey, if you love any of our pages, please buzz them up, or digg (or whatever) them for us!And please use the buttons below to Stumble or Buzz up any page you lov

---