Photo by Michael Mouchette.
Women have a lot to say about their bodiesand it is usually negative.
Every day, normal-weight women, and even men, peer into the mirror and pronounce their image unacceptable. This cultural condition surfaced after World War II when height and weight charts first appeared in doctors' offices. Jane Ellen Smith, UNM associate professor of psychology, became interested in body image when she was treating people with eating disorders. She noticed her patients could change their destructive eating behaviors, but they had difficulties shifting their negative thoughts. Cognitive-behavior modification can teach us to challenge those negative statements.