This issue is devoted to having a lovely smile and feeling beautiful in general. Sadly, there are people who never feel good about themselves, no matter how much reassurance they get from others, nor how many changes they try to make to themselves to look better.
Very often, these same people already do look quite attractive, but cannot see it. There are various forms of psychological disorders that make it difficult, if not impossible, for people (often women, but this is increasingly affecting men) to accept their bodies, no matter what feedback they may be receiving from others (or their own mirror).
These disorders can take the form of having a problem with one’s body image in general – or sometimes, there might be a negative focus on one body part, such as a facial feature or hair, size of hips, legs or breasts, or other parts of the body.
At other times, the discomfort with one’s body has to do with aging issues – attempts to avoid looking older, with the (mis)conception that one will be less valued as an older person.
Other variations of this might be those who are constantly dieting – hoping that they’ll be more attractive with a few less pounds. Of course, the extremes of this are bulimia (where a person will purge, or exercise for hours to keep weight off) or anorexia (where the severe weight loss becomes a matter of life and death).
As this issue points out—the desire to be attractive is very normal – and is an integral part of one’s life. Pursuing beauty is, for most people, a pleasurable activity, one that they do without internal emotional conflict.
But for the very few people who live in constant fear of not looking good enough, or being valued enough – all communicated through the belief that their bodies do not measure up in some manner, being attractive “enough” may become a fixation.
There’s a difference between enhancing one’s looks versus the distress of believing your body is deeply flawed. If you feel you are in the latter category, there is help available. Therapy can be very useful in helping those who agonize over their bodies instead of living comfortably in them and feeling good about themselves.
Consider making an appointment to discuss your body anxiety if you are among those people who feel they are trapped in a negative body image situation.
