Happiful_May_2019

How often do you criticise your body?

Once a week? Once a day? Let’s face it,

most of us make comments about our

bodies, out loud or in our heads. In fact,

for more than 90% of people, negative

body talk is a routine occurrence. It’s a

habit we share, a pattern to which we’ve

grown accustomed Writing^ | Maxine Ali

E

ach day we’re

exposed to critical

commentaries on

appearance. In the

media, we see slim,

tall, and athletic bodies described as

‘beautiful’, ‘healthy’, ‘desirable’, while

we’re reminded by advertisements

that the stretch marks, scars, belly

rolls, and body hair we all have are

‘flaws’ we should erase.

Among our peers, we often engage

in self-deprecation, speak of our

‘beach body’ woes, the trauma

of ‘unflattering angles’, finding

commonality in our insecurities. As a

culture, we are bonded by the shame

we feel towards our bodies, unaware

of how normalised this discontent

has become. But though verbal

assaults and discursive attacks are

practically instinct for our aesthetic-

centred imagination, there’s no

denying their devastating impact on

our mental wellbeing.

Body dissatisfaction is reaching

endemic levels in the UK, with

more than 60% of adults reportedly

harbouring negative feelings about

the way they look. Around two-thirds

of Brits are dieting to lose weight

most of the time, and approximately

1.25 million people are believed to

have an eating disorder.

The pressure to meet society’s

far-reaching standards of beauty

has caused a ripple of insecurity

across the population – one that is

costing so many of us our happiness

and self-esteem. As more and more

people find themselves vulnerable to

the toxic messages within body talk,

it’s time we paid attention to how our

language affects us.

WHAT IS BODY TALK?

Body talk refers to the ritualistic

conversations we engage in about

our own or others’ bodies or bodily

characteristics. The concept first

emerged in the work of two linguistic

anthropologists in the US, who

explored the interaction between

language and body image in young

women. Through their research, they

showed that women who discussed

body weight and size often showed

lower self-esteem and greater body

dissatisfaction, and were more likely to

diet and engage in disordered eating

behaviours, than women who didn’t

discuss their bodies. Body talk is also

associated with diminished cognitive

performance, due to thoughts being

eaten up by body hatred.

The role of body talk on mental

health can be attributed to a

phenomenon known as linguistic

relativity, which, simply put, is the idea

that language shapes our thoughts and

ideas. How we speak about certain

things ‘primes’ us to think about them

in those terms. For example, studies

show that changing a single word

when questioning witnesses about a

crime they saw, changed the way they

remembered it. This demonstrates

just how powerful language can be. It

can even go so far as to influence our

perception and memory.

Continues >>>

May 2019 • happiful • 33

THE IMPACT OF

Body Talk

WORDS

More than 60% of

adults reported

harbouring negative

feelings about the

way they look