Promoting Body Image Awareness – Interview Series #1: Meet “Jade”
07/12/25:
Did you know that around 80% of girls and 50% of boys in Western countries have body image concerns during high school, according to the data from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and the National Organization for Women (NOW)? The numbers are even higher for LGBTQ+ teens. People who struggle with body image are also more likely to develop eating disorders.
To help bring more attention to this issue, I’m starting an interview series with people I know. They’ll be sharing their personal stories—what they’ve gone through, how it’s affected them, and the ways they’ve learned to cope.
To keep things private, I’m using fake names for everyone I interview.
Q1. Overall, do you think you are satisfied with your body? Why or why not?
Overall, I’m not very satisfied with my body. I paused my athletic extracurricular indefinitely during junior and senior year of high school to focus on studying. As a result, I have lost some weight, but I also miss the flexibility, strength, and endurance I used to have back when I exercised regularly. I’m working on getting back into shape and caring for my body better.
Q2. How has your body image affected your mental health?
Body image has both positively and negatively affected my mental health. Up until 2 years ago, i used to be pretty athletic. As a result, I was much stronger, faster, and more flexible than I currently am. Although this came with additional weight and fat, sometimes i would feel good about myself because i considered myself healthy and strong. However, sometimes I would also feel negatively because I couldn’t fit into certain clothes I wanted to wear/felt I didn’t look good wearing them or kept comparing my body to other people in the mirror. These thoughts, both positive and negative, came and went, skewing my perception of self and the way I believed other people perceived me. These days, they have less influence on my mental health because I don’t think them as often, and am less preoccupied with what my body looks like.
Q3. Do you ever find yourself comparing your body to other people? How does that make you feel?
Especially because of social media, i find myself comparing my body to others. Often, I find myself wondering why the clothes that other people wear don’t look good on me or wouldn’t even fit me, or how other people could be confident in ways I couldn’t be. Sometimes, it makes me feel jealous, resentful, or depressed, which may lead to harmful behavior. Although my emotions are worth addressing, it doesn’t make my thoughts and actions okay. I’m still working on not comparing myself to others and loving myself, for the betterment of myself and those around me.
Q4. What advice would you give to people who are insecure about their bodies?
Often, insecurity about one’s body starts outward — from influences such as people around you, social media, and societal expectations. Over time, these insecurities start forming in your own thoughts. It can feel like hundreds of scrutinizing eyes and voices that make you feel not enough when you are yourself. However, in my personal experience, it helps to know that these thoughts can be heavily skewed and in many cases, are not true. There are people who believe your body is beautiful and people who believe you are enough. Your own body cares for you and is trying its best to function and get you through daily activities. Sometimes I repeat these thoughts in my head when I am sad, or print out kind things that people have written/texted me that make me feel better about myself to give myself little reminders that my insecurity does not reflect reality.
