tips to stop comparing your body and looks to others

Mar 23

Written By S

Comparing your body to others leads to dissatisfaction and a lack of peace.

In a society where we’re constantly being told we’re not good enough, we’re not skinny enough, we’re not thick enough, we’re not pretty enough, etc., don’t feel like you have to always compare your looks to other women. Comparing your body to others leads to dissatisfaction and a lack of peace. You’ll never be satisfied and will always be chasing unrealistic standards.

“The reason we struggle with insecurity is that we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.” — Steven Furtick

I’ve learned how to stop comparing my body to others by following people who share similar body types, eliminating triggers, focusing on what I like about my looks and becoming my own body goals. And I’ll tell you exactly how to do that too.

Dealing with body image comparison on social media

I’ve constantly dealt with unrealistic beauty standards on social media. For those of us who grew up with Instagram, this is all we know and have come to expect. In the age of filters and drastic makeup, you can look like anyone you want.

But that also means it distorts what you think women and faces look like. Comparing yourself to someone who doesn’t even look like themselves isn’t healthy or productive.

read more: body positivity quotes.

Social media and body image statistics

Statistics on the effects of social media on body image show improvements in feelings about weight and appearance for those who reduce their online intake and that there is an association with comparing physical appearances to people they follow and body dissatisfaction.

“Teens and young adults who reduced their social media use by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant improvement in how they felt about both their weight and their overall appearance compared with peers who maintained consistent levels of social media use,” according to research from the American Psychological Association.

A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found an association between how often someone compares their physical appearance to those they follow on social media and their body dissatisfaction.

“The widespread use of social media in teenagers and young adults could increase body dissatisfaction as well as their drive for thinness, therefore rendering them more vulnerable to eating disorders,” the study read.

How social media affects body image

Social media affects body image by:

worsening body image and eating disorders
causing anxiety of posting on social media
feelings of trying to keep up and match the constantly changing trends
negative comparisons of your own body to others

additional content: sixty-eight instagram captions for self love

“Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live.” – Gianni Versace

When I’m scrolling through social media, I see a wide range of body types and sometimes find inspiration for body goals I want to work toward. But it also reminds me of everything wrong with my own body and leads to unnecessary feelings of jealousy for women I’ll never see in real life.

I try to combat the negative feelings by following or interacting with women who share similar body types as myself or who look similar to me. It helps provide more positive and inspirational content and allows me to find fashion inspiration from influencers who wear clothes that accentuates their/my features. It also normalizes my own body type and reminds me of how many great looking women are out there that look like me.

“For the first time in human history, we’re carrying around devices that we use to take and share photographs,” said Dr. Patrick Byrne, a facial and plastic surgeon. “That has led to an obsession with appearance as it appears on a screen, which has fundamentally changed the challenges people face.”

Compare yourself to who you were yesterday.

When it comes to body goals, I encourage you to compare yourself to who you were yesterday instead of focusing on other people. Be your own competition and become your own body goals.

There’s truly nothing like looking back at old photos and seeing the progress you’ve made over time. Viewing your body and being satisfied is one thing, but there’s something truly special about knowing how hard you’ve worked toward a goal and seeing it pay off.

Compete with your own body goals

There’s a reason “me vs me” has been my phone wallpaper for years. It’s because everything in my life is a competition with myself. I never want to compare, contrast, be jealous or feel like I’m in a competition with other people, especially women.

There’s no need to feel that way, and it’s never productive. Have I felt jealous and compared my looks to others? Yes, of course. Am I constantly working on making myself my only competition? Also yes, of course. It’s always a journey.

“If you continuously compete with others you become bitter but if you continuously compete with yourself, you become better.”

It’s not realistic or sustainable to get down in my feelings every time someone or something intimidates me. Trust the process. Trust yourself.

At the end of the day, try to remember that your competition is with yourself. There are so many factors (genetics, environment, etc.) that can make others look completely different. Don’t focus on what you’re lacking or what others have.

How I learned to stop comparing my looks to others

focused on what I like instead of what I don’t like about my body
eliminated triggers (social media, being extra harsh on my period, etc.)
found content that matches my body type and looks
reshaped my social media habits and who I follow/what posts I interact with

read more: body dysmorphia vs me

Here are a few quotes I want you to keep in mind on body comparison:

“Two humans are completely different from each other, comparing them is like insulting nature.”
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.” ― Judy Garland
“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it, it just blooms.” – Zen Shin
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.” – Coco Chanel
“God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.” – William Shakespeare
“Stop comparing yourself to others and realize that while you may not have the same things others have to offer, what you do have to offer – you – is enough. You just need to figure out who you are and play to your strengths.” — Fredrik Eklund
“Comparison can turn friends into adversaries.” ― Frank Sonnenberg