- Challenge negative thoughts: When a negative thought about your body pops up, question it. Is it really true? Where did it come from?
- Focus on your body’s abilities: Your body is amazing! It allows you to walk, dance, laugh, and love. Celebrate its strength and resilience.
- Surround yourself with positive people: Spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself, inside and out.
- Practice self-care: Taking care of your physical and mental health can boost your body confidence. Eat healthy, get enough sleep, and engage in activities you enjoy.
- Therapy Can Help
It’s no secret that many women struggle with how they feel about their bodies. But for Black women, the journey to body love can be even more challenging. We’re bombarded with unrealistic beauty standards every day, and it can be hard to feel good about ourselves.
The Pressure to Conform
The influence of media, advertising, and even our own communities often promotes a narrow view of beauty. Slim, light-skinned features are frequently portrayed as the ideal, but this excludes the rich diversity of Black beauty. Historically, Black women have been held to Eurocentric beauty standards that often overlook and devalue natural Black features.
A Legacy of Colorism
These pressures are compounded by the legacy of colorism and body shaming within the Black community, rooted in a painful history of slavery, colonialism, and systemic racism. Understanding this context helps explain why so many of us struggle with body image—but it also highlights the importance of reclaiming and redefining beauty on our terms.
Building Body Confidence
But beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and skin tones. Here are some tips to help you love your body: