Promoting Body Image Awareness – Interview Series #3: Meet “Saanvi”

08/02/25:

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. I’m interviewing eight high school students from diverse genders and backgrounds. Each interview will be shared in a blog series—stay tuned!

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?

I don’t think I’ll ever be completely satisfied with my body, at least not for more than a few days at a time. I have good phases where I feel confident, and then bad phases where every little thing starts to bother me. There’s always something new to be insecure about. Even when I "fix" one issue, a new one comes up. Even when I work on one area and start to feel better about it, my focus just shifts to something else. I don’t think the insecurities ever fully go away, but I do believe I’ve gotten better at dealing with them and not letting them take over my whole mindset.

Q2. How has your body image affected your mental health?

It’s had a big impact. In high school, I would spend every morning analyzing my body in the mirror. I’d only feel okay if I looked a certain way. If it didn’t, I’d have to rationalize with myself throughout the day to keep from spiraling. I exclusively wore baggy clothes and hoodies all the time, even in hot weather, because I felt insecure about something. I would obsess over the idea of wearing tight clothes, only doing it if I didn’t feel insecure and planning it out for weeks in advance. As I cycled through insecurities, It started to feel like I was just making up reasons not to wear tight clothes because I was so scared. My body image often dictated my mood and how I saw myself as a person, and it contributed to feelings of shame and low self-worth.

Q3. Do you ever find yourself comparing your body to other people? How does that make you feel?

Yes, especially in high school. Seeing other girls with tiny waists, perfect hair, and fashionable outfits made me feel like I could never measure up. I remember thinking I would look like an elephant next to them, even though I was actually very thin myself at the time. Those comparisons made me feel inadequate and discouraged, and it definitely fed into my insecurities. It made me feel like I had to compensate for not having a "pretty" face or nice hair by trying to have the perfect body.

Q4. What advice would you give to people who are insecure about their bodies?

Insecurities are going to come and go. You might not ever feel 100% secure, but you can get better at managing how you react to those feelings.  Something that helped me was questioning why I disliked specific features. When did that start? Why those features in particular? That kind of reflection made me more aware of how much of my body image is rooted in internal narratives rather than actual flaws. My body dysmorphia is also impacted by hormones. Some days, I think I look fine. Other days, I feel completely distraught. This happens to many women, and keeping track of my cycle helps me anticipate those harder days and stay grounded.

A good starting point is learning about BDD and learning about yourself. BDD is not about being vain t’s a distressing psychological condition. Be aware that comparison, especially with people who have different genetics, resources, or goals, can be extremely toxic. It helps to focus on ground truths: no one sees you the way you see yourself. You’re used to seeing your reflection every day. You live inside this body. Other people don’t notice every detail or flaw the way you do. 

Once you begin healing, reconnecting with your body in a positive way can help. For me, that means doing things that require me to be present in my body without judgment, like applying lotion or stretching gently because it gives me a chance to really see my body — not through the lens of beauty standards, but as the incredible, living machine it is. It keeps me alive, breathes for me, carries me through every day. How can I hate or harm something so practical, so essential, that works so hard to keep me here? Beauty standards are always shifting, but human bodies have always done the same miraculous job: sustaining life. It helps me feel more connected and grounded. Most importantly, I try to remember: other people don’t obsess over our bodies the way we do. They see a whole, living, capable person, not the flaws we fixate on.

Next
Next

My Experience at Stanford’s Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Program (CNI-X)