The Body Shop once famously ran an advertising campaign which said that there were only seven people in the world that actually looked like supermodels. And that the average size for women in this country was 14. We know this, yet we all, both men and women alike, strive to look younger and more attractive. The source of these unrealistic feelings is obvious: the TV and the media have for so long bombarded us with images of good looking, perfectly honed, young people, that, now, we all feel a pressure to fit in to look the same.
What is clear is that none of us are able to live up to these expectations. The result of this is that many of us end up with a distorted body perception, ie we do not see ourselves how others see us. For some, this can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating - conditions which are dramatically increasing in society and which require serious attention.
To see what your body image is like, take our test compiled by Deanne Jade, Principal of The National Centre of Eating Disorders.
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TEXT: NetDoctor.co.uk
