Body-Concept vs. Body-Image
Updated on July 28, 2007
Oh My God! Is That What I Look Like?
Have you ever been in a public place where there are lots of people around, saw a reflection of a person in a mirror or window, and said, "At least I don't look like that" only to discover that you look exactly like that because that was your reflection? Have you ever looked through photos and saw somebody you didn't recognize a person in one of the photos, only to quickly realize that you were the person in that photo? Do you tend to dislike most of the photos that people take of you because the photographer didn't get your good side, the lighting was bad, you weren't posed in the best position, your clothes made you look fat, and so forth. Are there simply just a few photos that you actually are proud of? That reflection that caught you off guard and all of those bad photographs are what you really look like. It's how the rest of the world sees you, and it may be very different from what you thought you looked like. This is because our idea of what we look like is based on a combination of our body-concept and our body-image.
Body-Concept: The Real You
I want you to look in the mirror. Notice how when you look in the mirror, you see you. You see all of the features that look like you. Notice how you try to ignore those features that look like a fat person. Why do we do that? Why do we consciously or subconsciously try to ignore the rolls of fat, the chubby cheeks, the bulges, and the drooping flab. We know they're there, but we pretend that they're not and just focus on those features that remind us of how we really look. You can deny it, but you do it.
Let's think about what we might look like in Heaven (if you don't believe in Heaven, just pretend you do for the moment). There is a belief that in Heaven, your flaws disappear. This doesn't mean that you end up looking like somebody else. You look like you but flawless. Try to imagine what you would look like if you were flawless. That is your body-concept.
We develop our body-concept by looking in the mirror for years, comparing ourselves to other people, and listening to what other people say about our bodies. Some of us have a positive body-concept; we think we look pretty good (certainly not ugly). Some of us have a negative body-concept; we think we're ugly (even if we look like supermodels).
Body-Image: What You Think You Look Like
Your body-image is what you think other people see when they see you. You know what you truly look like, but you aren't naive enough to think that other people see you the same way. If you have positive body-image, you believe that people look at you and think that you look pretty good. If you have a negative body-image, you believe that people look at you think that that you don't look good. Most of the time, our body-image is a combination of how others actually do see us and our body-concept.
How Body-Concept and Body-Image Work Together
How you think the real you looks and how you think other people see you mesh together, and the way that they mesh can influence how you respond to your idea of appearance.
| Positive Body-Concept | Negative Body-Concept | |
| Positive Body-Image |
You think that the real you looks good. You believe that other people think you look good. You want people to see the real you, and you think they do see it or something close to it. You feel like you have the potential to just keep getting better. |
You think that the real you doesn't look good. You believe that other people think you look good. You don't want people to see the real you, and you are proud that you are putting on a perfect facade. You feel like you have the potential to fool people into thinking you have a positive body-concept, and just maybe you can keep up the show until you actually do have a body-concept. |
| Negative Body-Image |
You think that the real you looks good. You believe that other people see your flaws and don't think you look good. You want people to see the real you, but you don't think they can because of your flaws. You feel like you have the potential to have a positive body-image if you just change some of your flaws. |
You think that the real you doesn't look good. You believe that other people think that you don't look good. You don't want people to see the real you, and you think that they do see the real you or that they see a flawed facade. You feel like you have no hope of having a positive body-image or a positive body-concept without a miracle that somehow changes you into looking like somebody completely different. |
Example: If you have a positive body-concept but a negative body-image, you might try to cover up your physical flaws or just pretend that they don't exist. Meanwhile, since you believe that there is a good-looking person in that body, you may also take measures to fix your flaws. "I have flaws, but I can fix them."
Example: If you have a negative body-concept and a negative body-image, you might just give up completely because you feel like there is no hope, or you might go through extensive plastic surgery to try to look like somebody else. "I am completely flawed, and my only hope is that I might miraculously turn into somebody else."
Example: If you have a negative body-concept and a positive body-image, you might become anorexic, bulimic, obsessed with exercise, obsessed with makeup or fashion, etc. to create a false image to hide who you really are. "I am completely flawed, and I'll just keep putting on a show, so people can't see it, and maybe I'll miraculously turn into this fictional character I've created."
...by Feed