Many people struggle with negative body image, and this can have profound effects on their health and their happiness. The Bradley Body Project seeks to challenge the notion of an “ideal body,” explore the factors that negatively impact body image, educate people on issues related to body image and eating disorders, and provide resources to help us all move toward greater body positivity.
Table of Contents
What is the Bradley Body Project?
The Bradley Body Project was developed by faculty, staff, and students from across Bradley University, including members of the Department of Sociology, Criminology and Social Work, the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, the Department of Psychology, and the University’s Health Services. We invite you to use this site to:
The Body Project is for everyone regardless of identity or social status both in the Bradley community and beyond. Please join us in increasing awareness and acceptance of the human body in all its beautifully varied forms.
What is Body Image?
Ridgeway and Tylka (2005) define body image as the way we internally represent our outer appearances to ourselves. In other words, it’s the image we construct of ourselves in our own minds. So, body image is how we think and feel about our bodies–both their appearance and their functionality (Portingale et. al 2024).
Researchers investigate whether or not we are content with our bodies, and how that level of contentment affects our behavior. For instance, are we comfortable in our bodies? Do we diet or exercise in ways that harm us? Do we engage in negative or positive body talk and self-talk? The answers to these questions are important, as body-image can become an integral part of our identities, and it can have a powerful impact on the quality of our lives (Leone et al. 2011).
Who Does Negative Body Image Affect?
While negative body image is often assumed to just affect women and girls, in fact, it can affect people of all gender identities and demographic groups. The focus of specific concerns may vary, with some people focusing more on weight, while others focus more on muscularity, or on the visible characteristics commonly seen as markers of sex, such as facial hair, body hair, curves or abs (Burlew and Shurts 2015; Doyle and Engeln 2014; Grogan 2021; McGuire et. al 2016). One commonality, however, is a feeling that you don’t measure up to culturally-defined body ideals.
The Body Project