Healthy body image

**burnt_toast** · June 9th, 2006, 09:36 AM

After looking at pics of Keely I'm trying to think of (primarily female) celebrities that are examples of HEALTHY body images and I'm really struggling. I'm working on losing weight (down 20 lbs!!! yay) but I think I have a really distorted view of what my body should look like.

So I'm sending out a plea for examples of healthy bodies, what are we supposed to look like??

**MgMMD** · June 9th, 2006, 02:24 PM

Don't look to Hollywood, look to the Sports World.
The Women's Soccer team, Volleyball Team, WNBA.
Because with all our blathering about weight, lets face facts. REAL athletes, women whose bodies are temples and instruments and Hollywood starlets look nothing alike.

**HulaGirl** · June 9th, 2006, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by MgMMD

Don't look to Hollywood, look to the Sports World.
The Women's Soccer team, Volleyball Team, WNBA.
Because with all our blathering about weight, lets face facts. REAL athletes, women whose bodies are temples and instruments and Hollywood starlets look nothing alike.

I think that's an excellent idea

**pacific breeze** · June 9th, 2006, 04:46 PM

But a lot of athletes' bodies are the result of weight training, steroids, and over-development of specific muscle groups. I wouldn't say that's necessarily normal or healthy. A lot of female athletes don't menstruate either -- hardly healthy.

**burnt_toast** · June 9th, 2006, 05:52 PM

Damn ... it's not just me! I couldn't come up with one. I'm not sure if my expectations in weight loss and how my body should look are reasonable, It's stupid but I really want that mental image in my head of what I should look like, and I just can't get it.

Does any of that make sense, I've been drinking ...

**Lani** · June 9th, 2006, 05:54 PM

The problem with basisng yourself off starlets and atheletes is it is their jobs to be obsessive about how they look, their food, their work outs. A LOT of female atheletes have eating disorders because its their soul focus during the season and for most of them thats year round. There is no such thing as guilt free. Its restrictive down to the last gram. This coming from a girl who was training 7 days a week for 2 and a half hours - 3 and managed to restrict her diet to under 800 calories a day. Believe me you dont want to have that ideal either.

The fact is I think we have an intuition about when our bodies are right for us. We all carry fat and muscle differently, in different places for a reason. Despite the socially induced body dysmorphia I think every woman carries with her these days I think we know when we look good, when we feel right in our skins when we have the right tone etc.

The best thing I can suggest is think about what you want your body to do or what kind of person you want to be/are. Are you the outdoorsy type? then maybe you want to look in the mirror and see some nicely toned arms and legs and a firm belly and look like you could go hiking or surfing on a whim. Maybe you want to look like you could kick anyones ass action super hero style. Maybe you have a vintage style with that gorgeous hour glass figure. I dont know. I just know that looking away from you makes one lose sight of who you are to you.

**moomies** · June 9th, 2006, 06:15 PM

My hubby's co-worker's wife was an Olympic athelete, she competed in a marathon I think. When I met her, she actually looked rather anorexic though being pregnant.

**Delphinium** · June 9th, 2006, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by pacific breeze

But a lot of athletes' bodies are the result of weight training, steroids, and over-development of specific muscle groups. I wouldn't say that's necessarily normal or healthy. A lot of female athletes don't menstruate either -- hardly healthy.

agreed. female atheletes suffer from a fairly high rate of bulemia and "stress fractures" which are really fracturing from bone thinning due to a deficient calorie intake.

**cosmogrl5** · June 9th, 2006, 08:29 PM

As far as Hollywood goes, Mandy Moore, Brooke Shields, and Daisy Fuentes are all pretty healthy looking, IMO.

**olivia720** · June 9th, 2006, 09:23 PM

I think Catherine Zeta Jones, Kate Winslet look healthy. Also drew barrymore.

**HulaGirl** · June 10th, 2006, 12:02 PM

Great post.

Originally Posted by Lani

The problem with basisng yourself off starlets and atheletes is it is their jobs to be obsessive about how they look, their food, their work outs. A LOT of female atheletes have eating disorders because its their soul focus during the season and for most of them thats year round. There is no such thing as guilt free. Its restrictive down to the last gram. This coming from a girl who was training 7 days a week for 2 and a half hours - 3 and managed to restrict her diet to under 800 calories a day. Believe me you dont want to have that ideal either.

The fact is I think we have an intuition about when our bodies are right for us. We all carry fat and muscle differently, in different places for a reason. Despite the socially induced body dysmorphia I think every woman carries with her these days I think we know when we look good, when we feel right in our skins when we have the right tone etc.

The best thing I can suggest is think about what you want your body to do or what kind of person you want to be/are. Are you the outdoorsy type? then maybe you want to look in the mirror and see some nicely toned arms and legs and a firm belly and look like you could go hiking or surfing on a whim. Maybe you want to look like you could kick anyones ass action super hero style. Maybe you have a vintage style with that gorgeous hour glass figure. I dont know. I just know that looking away from you makes one lose sight of who you are to you.

**burnt_toast** · June 10th, 2006, 05:31 PM

Wow, it really is sad that at 30 I'm this unsure of my own body. I guess, I'll just stay on the same track (healthy eating, regular exercise) and see where I end up.

Lani - that was a great post! Thanks.

**lalala** · June 10th, 2006, 06:53 PM

You should really know what your body type is to start with, You don't want to strive for McPherson body if you have a latin type, etc...For the rest no need of role models, take naked pics of yourself if you must, you shouldn't look fat or skinny, toned is best - and if you can't describe what you see as sensual, put a liitle pounds on

**Tati** · June 11th, 2006, 11:15 AM

Excellent post, Lani!

As for some high-profile examples of healthy bodies, for me anyway:

- Reese Witherspoon
- Gabrielle Reece
- Angelina Jolie - Tomb Raider era
- Mandy Moore
- Britney Spears back in the day - she had curves and muscle tone at one point
- Charlize Theron
- Jewel - she's always had curves but never looks sloppy or out of shape and dresses to show a little skin but not too much - you can tell she's comfortable in her own skin

I appreciate athletic bodies, but also feminine curves, and those two things are not mutually exclusive. I also respect women who will allow themselves to put on healthy weight when pregnant and not go into a frenzy trying to work it off. I'm also admittedly drawn to slim, willowy types as well, but not if it's forced. If a woman's natural body type is a slender one, that's fine with me and can be appealing. Natalie Portman and Evan Rachel Wood come to mind. Bones and fragility, however, are not cute.

**AliceInWonderland** · June 11th, 2006, 02:24 PM

my body image has been fucked up since i was a kid; i knew i had fat thighs before i could spell "thighs" and I would stare in the mirror at myself for ages analyzing all the wrong shapes I had and all the cute or interesting ones as well. I got really depressed when I first realized that what I see in the mirror is very different than what is actually there from seeing photos of myself. Interesting though.