On this page, we talk about understanding how you feel about your body.

Some people call this ‘body image’.

On this page:

• How you feel about your body
• What you can do to feel better about your body
• Where to get support

Everyone can have good and bad feelings about their bodies.

But remember that all bodies are beautiful.

Many people want to have the type of body you often see:

• on TV and in movies
• in magazines
• online.

Feeling good about your body can be hard.

But you can work towards it over time.

Everyone has the right to feel good about their body.

This includes liking the parts of your body that make you different.

The way you feel about your body can affect your:

• physical health
• mental health.

People who are not happy with their bodies are more likely to:

• not enjoy their life
• feel stressed
• eat unhealthy foods
• have an eating disorder.

  An eating disorder is a medical condition that can affect:

  • the way you behave towards food
  • how you think and feel about your body
  • how healthy you are.

Anyone can feel bad about their body.

But some people are more at risk.

This includes:

• young women
• gender diverse people.

  A gender diverse person is someone:

  • who feels like they do not fit the idea of being a man or a woman
  • whose gender given to them when they were born does not match the gender they are.

It also includes

• people with disability
• LGBTQIA+ people.

  The letters LGBTQIA stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual.

  The ‘+’ is for people who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community but do not talk about themselves using a word from this list.

Some people with disability do not feel comfortable with their bodies.

This might be because people with disability do not see many other people with disability:

• on TV and in movies
• in magazines
• online.

How you feel about your body might change when your body changes.

For example, if your weight changes when you are pregnant.

You might also start to feel bad about your body if people are:

• teasing you
• bullying you.

  Bullying is when someone says or does something to make you feel bad over and over again.

But you have the right to love:

• your body
• who you are.

You can find out more about how body image can affect people on the Butterfly website.

Remember that people do not really look like what you see:

• on TV and in movies
• in magazines
• online.

Also remember that it is okay to look different to other people.

Everyone looks different in some way.

You should think about the good things your body helps you do and achieve.

This is more important than the way your body looks.

You can choose the type of people you follow on social media, like Facebook or Instagram.

You can choose to follow people who make you feel better about your body.

This includes people who might:

• look like you
• talk about feeling good about your body.

Saying good things about your body can help you feel better about yourself.

For example, you could say:

• ‘My body is perfect.’
• ‘I am grateful for what my body lets me do.’
• ‘I am more than what I look like.’
• ‘I am different and I am beautiful.’

You can also:

• make a list of things you like about your body
• do things that make you feel good, like spend time with friends.

We have information and resources on this website to help you get the support you need.

You can find out more on our page about support.

We also have information on this website about counselling.

Counselling can help you with your mental health.

You can find out more on our page about counselling.

You can get support from people who:

• are like you
• have had similar experiences to you.

We call this ‘peer support’.

You can find peer support online.

We made an activity to help you feel good about your body.

You can visit the WWDA website for more information.

You can contact Butterfly for support and counselling.

They can help you if you:

• feel bad about your body
• have an eating disorder.

You can visit the Butterfly website for more information.

You can call them.

1800 334 673