Day 340 of 365 - Recovering Body Image With Age
I was recently in a conversation with a few friends, some younger than me and one older, about the impact of aging on body image. There was a brief discussion about how the visible changes which occur with the hormonal changes of perimenopause and menopause affect how we feel about ourselves. I've been pondering one of the concerns raised, which was that one person felt there was not a lot of public acknowledgment, or 'people talking about' this. In essence, she was feeling loss with changes and a sense of that not being recognized.
This discrepancy as we age, between how we look on the outside versus how we feel on the inside is definitely felt. While it may not seem as though this is being addressed in a helpful way, I believe that a variety of women's mentors do. It's just that the dominant cultural ideals of youth, beauty and perfection tend to override the support that is available if you look for it.
For example, the speaker in an interview on the topic of body image recovery which I listened to, pointed out that when you look at the headlines on women's magazines, and especially ones geared towards fitness and beauty, there really has not been a change in many decades. The primary emphasis is still on dieting, focusing on a youthful appearance and perfection. That's a tough paradigm to override. But, that's what we need to do because it essentially shames women into feeling that we are not enough, ever.
One of the women's mentors who has been around in the health and wellness arena for many years, and who has a large mainstream following is Dr. Christiane Northrup. She practiced as an obstetrician/gynecologist for 25 years before focusing more on writing and speaking about women's health. Her first book, in 1994, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom quickly developed a following due to her ability to address the real concerns of females. As she has aged herself, Dr. Northrup has written other books related to menopause and aging, including The Wisdom of Menopause and Goddesses Never Age.
Writers and speakers like Dr. Northrup do not deny the varied symptoms women experience due to the hormonal shifts which occur over a period of ten years or so leading up to menopause. These symptoms are physical, mental and emotional challenges. However, she invites women to consider this time of life as a new developmental opportunity. She believes that our culture is overdue for a paradigm shift about what it means to grow older, especially for women.
An interesting thing which she points out too, is that unfinished business from the past comes up again during this transitional stage, giving us another opportunity to resolve and heal it. Issues around body image, relationships, vocation, fear of aging and self-esteem may arise. Her emphasis is on learning how to engage in life without the fear of falling apart as we age.
Although we can reduce the speed and impact of aging changes with a healthy lifestyle, some of the change is inevitable. Dr. Northrup advises that instead of focusing on things we can't control, or on the unrealistic cultural ideals about women, that we embrace the things we can control. These include suggestions such as: embrace routines that are healing, calming and reassuring; enhance your daily life with comfort and beauty around you; know that the fear of loss is often worse than the loss itself; and recognize that you are stronger and more resilient than you might think.
To recover our body image with age, instead of bemoaning the loss of what the culture has taught us is important, we need to step into our own power as aging women, defy what we've been taught about aging, find positive role models and create lives that we enjoy living. We can take responsibility for learning to trust ourselves and make choices that align with who we are inside.
This discrepancy as we age, between how we look on the outside versus how we feel on the inside is definitely felt. While it may not seem as though this is being addressed in a helpful way, I believe that a variety of women's mentors do. It's just that the dominant cultural ideals of youth, beauty and perfection tend to override the support that is available if you look for it.
For example, the speaker in an interview on the topic of body image recovery which I listened to, pointed out that when you look at the headlines on women's magazines, and especially ones geared towards fitness and beauty, there really has not been a change in many decades. The primary emphasis is still on dieting, focusing on a youthful appearance and perfection. That's a tough paradigm to override. But, that's what we need to do because it essentially shames women into feeling that we are not enough, ever.
One of the women's mentors who has been around in the health and wellness arena for many years, and who has a large mainstream following is Dr. Christiane Northrup. She practiced as an obstetrician/gynecologist for 25 years before focusing more on writing and speaking about women's health. Her first book, in 1994, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom quickly developed a following due to her ability to address the real concerns of females. As she has aged herself, Dr. Northrup has written other books related to menopause and aging, including The Wisdom of Menopause and Goddesses Never Age.
Writers and speakers like Dr. Northrup do not deny the varied symptoms women experience due to the hormonal shifts which occur over a period of ten years or so leading up to menopause. These symptoms are physical, mental and emotional challenges. However, she invites women to consider this time of life as a new developmental opportunity. She believes that our culture is overdue for a paradigm shift about what it means to grow older, especially for women.
An interesting thing which she points out too, is that unfinished business from the past comes up again during this transitional stage, giving us another opportunity to resolve and heal it. Issues around body image, relationships, vocation, fear of aging and self-esteem may arise. Her emphasis is on learning how to engage in life without the fear of falling apart as we age.
Although we can reduce the speed and impact of aging changes with a healthy lifestyle, some of the change is inevitable. Dr. Northrup advises that instead of focusing on things we can't control, or on the unrealistic cultural ideals about women, that we embrace the things we can control. These include suggestions such as: embrace routines that are healing, calming and reassuring; enhance your daily life with comfort and beauty around you; know that the fear of loss is often worse than the loss itself; and recognize that you are stronger and more resilient than you might think.
To recover our body image with age, instead of bemoaning the loss of what the culture has taught us is important, we need to step into our own power as aging women, defy what we've been taught about aging, find positive role models and create lives that we enjoy living. We can take responsibility for learning to trust ourselves and make choices that align with who we are inside.
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