In a world where the media consistently projects images of the “perfect” female body, a new site called My Body Gallery promotes a positive body image by displaying real images of real women along with their height, weight and clothing size.
“In a world full of images of how we ‘should’ look it can get difficult to tell how we DO look,” the site says. “Most women have spent so many years looking at themselves in mirrors that we can no longer see what’s really there. The My Body Gallery project’s goal is to help women objectively see what we look like and come to some acceptance that we are all beautiful.”
While the site encourages women to accept that all bodies look different no matter what your shape and size, some women are skeptical that it will have a measurable affect on how a woman views her body.
“I doubt [My Body Gallery] will change the way a woman already feels about her body,” said Rachel Gurk, a Michigan based doctor of physical therapy. “Some people are smaller, some people are bigger. No matter what your size, you still have to feel secure in yourself.”
Women can anonymously upload photos or self-portraits, plug in their stats and then browse women of similar size. While it is interesting to see how to see how different women carry their weight, we question whether there will be any impact from the website.
“The theory is that seeing how great other ladies your size look – women who aren’t on the receiving end of the same judgments and contempt as yourself – will help you embrace your own figure,” health writer Leslie Goldman wrote on her blog, Health Breaks Loose. “Happily, the site worked like a charm for me. I found it extremely comforting and reassuring to see what other 5’10”, 140-150lb women ‘really’ look like. ”
Also Read:
Fat Talk Free Week Promotes a Healthy Body Image
Kate Middleton’s Photoshopped Image Does Little for Eating Disorder Rumors