Swimming Community and Performance Support

Body image is most commonly considered to be the way we think and feel about the weight, shape or appearance of our bodies. This is true, and if we are taking it a step further, it’s also the way we make sense of our body experiences in the context of our life and the world we live in. Body image can be both negative and positive, with most people experiencing some of both. When negative body image becomes more dominant, it can lead to problems for people such as low mood, anxiety, excessive comparing to others and changing our eating and exercise patterns in ways which negatively impact our lives.

Body image concerns are certainly experienced by individuals but are not just an individual issue. We are influenced by many factors outside our control which impact the way we feel about ourselves and our bodies. Gender, our family upbringing, involvement in sport, our genetics, friendships, our body-focussed culture, and many other factors can all have positive, and negative impacts on the way we view our bodies.

Although body image is a serious and common precipitating and perpetuating factor in eating disorders, most people who experience body image concerns or distress will not have an eating disorder. Even so, the impact that feeling bad about our bodies can have on our lives can be significant and if not addressed, can last a lifetime. The good news is that we are all in a position to learn ways to feel good about our bodies, so we are able to live, train and compete well and take care of ourselves in the long-term.

What we understand is that body image is something that develops over time, and from young ages. Research has found that children as young as three can experience body image concerns and although this might be unusual, it tells us that it’s never too early and never too late.

It’s most common that body image concerns emerge over time and can be “triggered” by an event, or series of events. This might include comparisons to the bodies of others, comments on body shape (not just teasing or bullying), being weighed, body changes related to normal growth or puberty, amongst many others.

Poor body image usually starts as a series of thoughts and feelings before sometimes being accompanied by behaviours, such as food monitoring and restriction, exercising or self-weighing/measuring. By the time swimmers have started engaging in behaviours, the feelings of body negativity can have been experienced for some time already.

Although it could easily be said that anyone who is a human being can experience body concerns, there are groups of people who are more likely to experience concerns in ways which interrupt quality of life. These include:

• Women and female-identifying people – of all ages, shapes and sizes.
• People who do not necessarily fit into a particular sport-specific athletic “stereotype” (and feel pressure to attain a particular shape/weight/size).
• People who compete in sports where a weight is demanded (such as in weight category sports) or a certain weight, shape or size is seen as preferable for performance (such as in aesthetic sports).
• People who are more likely to compare themselves negatively to others.
• People who believe that bodies can be easily changed through behaviours.
• People who have a genetic history of eating disorders and other mental health conditions.