Seven Body Shapes Identified

7 body types identified as follows:

PEAR: A little bit larger around the middle.

CUCUMBER: Straight up and down with no extra weight.

TOMATO: Slightly chubby all over.

BRICK: Solid and broad all over.

NACHO: Slim waist, broad shoulders.

STRING BEAN: Very skinny and lean.

SNOWMAN: Rounded at stomach and chest – a figure of eight shape.

Every body is different. These individual differences are what sets you apart from everyone else. Although body shape does not define who you are as a person, dissatisfaction with your body shape suggests a mis-match between the perceptions of self versus what you deem to be the ‘ideal’. Moreover, body dissatisfaction contributes to lower levels of self confidence. For that reason, the pursuit of physical perfection is potentially detrimental to mental health, well-being and wellness, especially given that ‘perfection’ is not a realistic goal.

My advice for coming to terms with how you look is to develop body confidence. A more positive body image may be encouraged through an awareness of the wide-range of body shapes, sizes, and types that exist world-wide today. Regardless of your physique, I believe that it is important to be YOU, accepting yourself as you inherently are, embracing your body shape, valuing all the qualities, skills, abilities, traits that make you unique. For anyone persistently experiencing body dissatisfaction, I would encourage you to talk to someone you trust, or contact your local GP or other mental health professional.

A final thought is this question I am often asked in therapy, “Is it OK to be me?”. My answer is what I wish to pass onto all readers… Yes it’s OK to be YOU. What’s not OK is that other people make you feel that it’s not OK to be you.

 

N.B. Extract first published in ME magazine of The Sun newspaper, 30th May 2013.

© Roxana Rudzik-Shaw. All Rights Reserved.

© The Positive Vibes Project. All Rights Reserved.