Student Blog: Bad Body Image Days-Theatre Student's Edition

You're hard pressed to find a college student who doesn't have any sort of issues with their body image, let alone a college student studying theatre. It's sad but true. Society has set such toxic body standards that we particularly feel as actors because we're literally representing society in our work, and this can have a major effect on our performance in classes or in rehearsals. It's no secret that we need to be taking care of ourselves, like it or not, and that thin bodies aren't the same as healthy bodies, but hey- all of us have days where it's harder than usual to care for the bodies we're in. Bad body image days (or weeks, it's okay) happen, and they can be awful, but they're nothing that can't be conquered.

Before anything, it's important to remember once again that we need to be taking care of ourselves. Our bodies are, in fact, our instruments, and they need to be treated with respect. These are the bodies that are constantly functioning day and night in order to get us through hours upon hours of training and performing and interacting and just living, and they're all uniquely genetically made up, so they're not all going to look the same or fit the same image. Our bodies deserve so much love and respect for all that they do for us.

That said, it's still totally normal to hate them sometimes. Sometimes, seeing ourselves in a leotard can feel more humiliating than seeing ourselves in a prison jumpsuit. If this is the case, be sure to pick a spot that's not so close to the mirror when you get to your dance or movement class, and widen your field of vision so that you're able to see yourself as just a part of the environment, and use the mirror as a mere tool. Acknowledge the thoughts that say, "Why don't I look like this? Why am I so gross? Why can't I look like this person?" and go back at them by asking, "why do I really feel like this? Is something else making me feel this way? Is this a valuable way to spend my time?" By facing the feeling head-on, it becomes easier to stop focusing on the negativity and focus on what it is you have to do in the moment.

Other times, bad body image days can lead to an avoidance of food. This again requires an acknowledgment and combat of the why-can't-I-look-like-that thoughts, as well as accountability. We still have to nourish ourselves, no matter what we ate the day before or what we're going to eat the next day or how we think we look right now. In this case, accountability is helpful. Eat meals with a friend or two, or at least have a friend hold you accountable for eating if you're not comfortable eating with others. Repeat the "food is fuel" mantras to yourself; by saying "food is fuel, I need fuel to live, therefore I deserve to eat" (or anything similar) either out loud to yourself or in your head repeatedly, you're giving yourself the reassurance you're searching for. Again, ask yourself, "why do I feel this way? Is this worth my time?" Write it down if you have to.

Unfortunately, there's nothing that's ever going to magically repair our body image insecurities, despite the fact that we all deserve to feel at home in our bodies, so the best thing we can do is face them head-on. Other activities, such as journaling, meditating, making a confidence-booster playlist, and dressing in our favorite clothes and/or colors can be majorly helpful as well. It's also useless to follow "what-I-eat-in-a-day" accounts on social media, and that's because we are all different, so we don't all have the exact same needs. If you're looking for inspiration, look at accounts such as The Broadway Dietician or To the Pointe Nutrition on Instagram whose content is created for theatre and dance students who struggle with food and body image. Additionally, it's important to remember that there is no shame in seeking extra help- group therapy and individualized therapy, if accessible, can be wonderful outlets for talking out and solving issues like these. At the end of the day, we deserve to feel at home in our bodies, and we have to take the steps we need to ensure that feeling . We are storytellers, and these are our instruments. They deserve the highest level of care we can give them.