How women's body image can impact and influence sexual experiences? Body image is known as mental image or the subjective picture of one’s body. Peer and parental influences, weight, sexual activity can all be factors that impact one’s body image. A positive feeling about the body is essential for sexual body esteem and is linked with a pleasurable sex life, while negative body image can lead to cognitive distractions, the woman is more concerned about how her body may appear to her sexual partner. The two concepts that I will be discussing in this essay are gender roles and love and communication. The interesting article that I have read is called “Selfie” harm: Effects on mood and body image in young women” by Jennifer S. Mills. This article shows body image can have huge impacts on the sexual health of women, as well as on their overall mental health and view of healthy relationships.
Women with negative body image tend to avoid body exposure during a sexual intimacy. Many individuals probably experience anxiety, depression, anger and even self-loathing. Unfortunately, they are not able to relax and enjoy the relationship because of less sexual satisfaction. In fact, body image experiences are considered integral to the quality of one’s life including sexual life. Body image issue has a great impact on college students. For instance, women, who have negative body image, are more likely to not have good academic performance due to anxiety or anger that are causing by the image if their bodies. Also a person with a positive body feels comfortable and happy in their body. On the other hand, negative feelings about one's appearance are associated with lower sexual esteem and increased sexual anxiety in women.
Negative body image is not an uncommon problem for many girls and women. It’s important that women learn to change their body image towards a positive view of self. In my opinion, women should deal with body image issues and be more accepting of their bodies. Women should feel more comfortable with their feelings and not let their self-esteem depends on their weight. I think women need a change in their belief system to be more confident. Women should accept their bodies’ shapes or images. This will help them appreciate their own bodies.
There is a relationship between body image and gender role. Indeed, individual’s gender role is related to his or her body image. There is an unequivocal between body image and gender. Compared to men, women evaluate their bodies less favorably, express more dissatisfaction with their bodies, view physical appearance as more important, realize a greater contradiction between body ideal and body image. Moreover, both body image and gender role are related to self-esteem. Indeed, women who evaluate their bodies less favorably have lower self-esteem than people who evaluate their bodies more favorably. Negative body image and low self-esteem have been associated with eating disorders. So, the relationship between self-esteem and gender role, and the relationship between self-esteem and body image suggest a relationship between body image and gender role. Furthermore, love and communication can be related to image body issues. Low self-esteem that results from negative body image can contribute to problems in relationships such as depression and self-loathing.
Body image is about how women feel about their bodies, not about how their bodies look. Negative body image can cause poor academic performance to students due to problems in romantic relationships. In fact, negative body image is a serious problem for many girls and women and can contribute to many problems in relationships therefore it’s so important for women to learn how to change their body image towards a positive view of self.
