Are You Also Insecure About Your Appearance?

A majority of people in the world have a negative view of their body. This number is drastically increasing, and worryingly, not just in people who are out of shape. We're constantly bombarded with the idea that your physical appearance is your social currency. The better your body is, the better your life will be. We see shredded influencers, flashing cars, money, vacations, and amazing social lives. And because we don't have the apparent satisfaction that they do, we tend to blame our bodies.

We assume that our shame, guilt, and dissatisfaction with our body will all be solved once we just lose a little bit more fat and gain a little bit more muscle. We fall victim to the arrival fallacy. Much like many think making more money will make them happier, many believe that when I get abs, I'll be finally satisfied. But there are some major flaws about this assumption.

Everyone has a body image. I do, you do, your second cousin does. And body image is not what you physically see in the mirror, but rather the perception that someone has of their body and the feelings and actions that arise from that. This body image can be positive, neutral, or even negative. We tend to assume that it's positive for those who are in great shape and negative for those who are overweight, while in fact, a negative body image is more closely related to how important you think your appearance is and how much investment you put into it.

A negative body image can lead to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, social withdrawal, increased use of steroids, and a lower quality of life. It's no wonder that all of these are at an all-time high. You see, we don't all start out on a level playing field. Some people can build muscle by simply looking at muscle magazines, while others have to slave away for years and years just to get below average results.

Muscle attachments and muscle shape massively influence how our bodies look and are completely down to genetics.

One person's abs can be flawless and extremely aesthetic, while someone else with the exact same level of muscularity and body fat can look quite different. It's simply easier for some people to lose fat than others. And obesity is very complex, but that's a topic worthy of an article in itself.

When I was younger, I really bought into the narrative that your body is your badge of honour. I don't blame myself. Jim Shark had just started to become popular, and their sponsored athlete team, which was comprised of naturally gifted specimens, many probably using steroids, had the fame and status that every young man desired. So inevitably, in spite of doing my best with my training and nutrition, I was very unhappy with how I looked. To the everyday average person, I was in great shape, but a negative body image has nothing to do with what others think and everything to do with what the person thinks of themselves.

At only the age of 21, I strongly contemplated the use of anabolics, and I just wanted to feel better about myself, and I truly was disgusted with what I saw in the mirror. My case was probably a little bit more extreme than most people because I had such high investment in my body, and that was only made worse by standing on stage, of course, and being judged by a group of judges.

The reality is that a negative body image is becoming an increasingly large problem amongst modern men. The ideal male physique has changed dramatically throughout time.

• In ancient Greece, it was slim legs and a defined torso.
• In the 1800s, it was a round, full belly, which was seen as a status symbol, and exclusive fatman clubs came on the scene.

In more recent times, the perfect body has become more and more extreme with the levels of muscularity in definition, often unattainable for the average person, even with the use of anabolics. We see online fitness celebrities like the Lever King rising to him only to be exposed for lying to millions of people about his use of steroids. Hollywood stars like Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan, and Chris Helmsworth look more like they could be part of the NFL or WWEE than actors in a movie. Young TikTok influencers using sarms and steroids are seen as inspirations rather than the manifestation of everything that's wrong with the fitness industry.

Even doctors have their tops off when sharing health information online. Everything in life seems to be portrayed as better when you have an amazing physique.

The challenge with having these mimetic desires or externally-driven motives is that we lose our sense of autonomy. We tell ourselves that it's the pursuit of health, and while there often is some truth to that, it's frequently unhappiness with what we see in the mirror masquerading as self-improvement.

According to self-determination theory, these psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and mastery are key to both satisfaction and sustained success in achieving one's goals. When we lean too much on externally driven goals such as status, fame, or recognition, we lose that autonomy. In other words, not feeling like we have control over our lives. This ultimately ends up with us giving up or giving in. We see this every January. Lots of gymgoers looking to shed some fat but regressing back to normal after only a few weeks.

Talk to anyone that's lived a healthy life for many years, and they will tell you how they are driven not to impress other people, but how looking after themselves makes them feel and improves the quality of their life. And while many people will tell you that if you're not happy with your physique, then you should change it, this isn't always going to solve the problem. Much like some money will improve the quality of your life compared to none, losing some body fat may improve your perception of your body if you have a lot to lose. But in both cases, more isn't always better. According to the of the scientifically validated Body Image Fundamental Score, Shannon Beer, both low evaluation and high investment are risk factors for a negative body image. This means that somebody who dislikes their physique but also thinks it's really important to be in shape is the most susceptible to having the negative consequences associated with a negative body image. From my own experience, having competed in fitness modeling and bodybuilding for many years, I can tell you that those with the best physiques and millions of followers online are often the most unhappy with how they look.

But not every physique goal is inherently problematic. It's more about the intention behind it. You can prefer to be more muscular and have less body fat, much like you have a preference about your hair style and the way that you dress. You can want to build a muscle for intrinsically motivated reasons such as enjoyment and mastery, which later became my driver for bodybuilding pursuits. But if you constantly feel like a six-pack or bigger biceps or less fat around the waist is the key to your problems, then you're looking in the wrong place.

You can change how you look without changing how you feel, and you can change how you feel without changing how you look. — Shannon Beer

If you're in this position, then you're completely justified, and I know exactly how it feels, and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The narrative that your physique determines your growth is only relevant if you choose to buy into it. Although it takes time, you can improve your body image.

• It means focusing less on the mirror and progress photos,
• Unfollowing social media accounts that you pretend motivate you,
• Noticing when you're judging yourself or others purely on visuals and not making your physique the most interesting thing about you.

Look at what's important to you in life. Explore your values. Ask yourself, how does exercise and eating well help you to be the person that you want to be? In my own case, my body image improved massively when I focused less on it and when I double down on things outside of the gym and focused on overall health and not just my physique. Although I would like to be in better shape, I no longer obsess over it and understand that it has a little bearing on my worth as a person. Building confidence doesn't come with having less body fat. It comes with doing things that challenge and scare.

Thanks for reading my work. You can also support me by buying me a coffee so that I can keep providing you with scientific evidence-based Health & Nutrition related stories.