Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
by Susan H. Hay

In today's society, people of all ages, both male and female, get caught up with appearances and with body image. From the young child who sees her baby fat as ugly and undesirable, to the youth who is ashamed of the way his body looks, to the adult who wants to look younger in her body — all are concerned with body image. Marketing appears to be a key driving force behind how we are supposed to look in order to appear more mature or sexy, or to seem younger than our years. We look into the mirror, as did the queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and wonder, "Who is the fairest of them all?" We feel certain that we aren't, but often wish that we were.

Doctors are starting to document cases of girls as young as those in the third grade having anorexia nervosa. These young girls see themselves as fat and starve themselves to have the "perfect" body. More and more teens are having plastic surgery to correct what in their minds are bodily defects: a nose too big for the face, breasts not equally proportioned on their bodies, ears that stick out from the head. Their parents are supportive and pay out big bucks for the "corrective" surgery. Adults spend millions each year on dieting programs in search of the "perfect" weight and body.

Many of us, in varying degrees, have a distorted view of self. We become overly self-conscious about the size or shape of our bodies. The steady pressure to have the "right" look can backfire, leading us to an endless search for perfection.

Think about it for a minute: What does the "right" kind of body look like for a female? for a male? And how did you form those images? from your childhood? from television? from magazines? from dissatisfaction with your own body?

It's easy to give in to the temptation of comparing ourselves with the "perfect" images on television and in magazines. But aren't we really "more than meets the eyes"?” Genesis 1:27 (NRSV) says "God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." We are more than meets the eyes, for we are created in God's image.

Think about it for a minute. What does it mean to be "created in God's image"? Does holy or awesome come to mind? Does wonderful child of God come to mind?

When we admire God's image within our own faces and bodies, our faces and bodies become something to celebrate. It won't matter if we are small, lean, large, fat, able-bodied or disabled. As the image of God, each of us has a reason to celebrate. Believing our bodies are good and claiming them as holy and awesome motivates us to cherish and care for our bodies. What we do with our bodies really does matter!

It matters how we care for our bodies, how we keep our bodies clean, how we stay in shape, how we nurture our bodies. Our bodies have a lot of power. What we do with our bodies — how we treat them, whom we share our bodies with — shapes who we are today and can determine our future.

Proper respect for our bodies allows us to set wholesome boundaries — to determine what is okay and what is not okay concerning how people touch us — and gives us the confidence to say "no" when our boundaries are not respected. When we have proper respect for our bodies, we are able to express a wholesome understanding of the meaning of intimacy that honors God's image in both individuals of a couple relationship. Sexuality is a holy and awesome aspect of our bodies.

Honoring the body is one of the ancient Christian spiritual practices of the church. The caring of the body was then as now a way in which Christians could participate in God's activity in the world. Eating, drinking, bathing, dressing, touching all acknowledge the sacredness of our bodies.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all?" YOU ARE! For you are "fearfully and wonderfully made" in God's image.

To Learn More:

Be At Home in Your Body (from the MethodX website)

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders — ANAD

Cracking the Mirror: Body Image and Media Resources from the University of Iowa

Distorted Body Image Can Have Tragic Results

Susan H. Hay (shay@gbod.org) is a Director of Youth Ministries for the General Board of Discipleship.

Posted 9-29-03

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