Do body image and self-esteem get better with age?

Jul 29, 2023 | Podcast

When did you first realize you had a body? Even more so, when do you first remember that your body needed to look a certain way to be acceptable? And how have your body image and self-esteem changed as you’ve aged?

Whether it’s your weight, the shape of your body, the color of your skin, or the clothes you wear, from an early age you absorbed cultural messages that told you what an acceptable or desirable body is.

If you’re like most of the women I work with and myself, those messages became loud and clear about the time we entered puberty – around 9-13 years old.

Fast forward through 3 decades of beauty, health, and wellness messaging, and now you’re over 40. You’re still concerned about body image but it’s not about trying to look like the cover models in Women’s Health or Prevention Magazines. It’s deeper than that.

After 40 it’s about the healthiness the models promote. The healthy skin, toned legs, arms, butt, and abs even after creating X-number of kids. How centered and confident the women seem no matter what hardship they’ve overcome. This is body image after 40.

My guest is Sabrina Magnan a Holistic Health Coach who helps chronic dieters heal their relationship with food and overcome binge and emotional eating so they can enjoy food without guilt or shame.

Sabrina Magnan a Holistic Health Coach who helps chronic dieters heal their body image and self-esteem

Sabria shares her personal story about body dysmorphia, toxic body positivity, and her flawed beliefs about bodies as a young competitive synchronized swimmer. Sabrina says,

“I struggled with my relationship with food and my body starting at the age of 15. Growing up as a synchronized swimmer, I was conditioned to associate my worthiness with the way my body looked.

When I retired from the sport in my mid-teens, I became terrified of weight gain. I was convinced that I was doing something wrong when I saw my body change. So, I did what most people would do: I started dieting.

I cut out foods. Avoided carbs. Fasted. Counted calories. This initial innocent desire to control my body size spiraled into yo-yo dieting, body dysmorphia, binge eating, exercise addiction, and orthorexia.

I struggled through my food and body image issues for over 8 years until I finally healed my relationship with food and my body.”
Sabrina Magnan

We talk about set point theory and how chronic dieting and hormonal shifts affect your genetically designed set point range for weight.

Sabrina explains how stress and burnout related to body image and self-esteem can limit health and wellness goals after 40.

We wrap up with a closer look at body image and self-esteem and how the two dramatically influence each other – especially during body changes and hormonal shifts in perimenopause.

If you struggle to find confidence in how your body looks after 40, this conversation will give you the strategies you need to start re-assessing how you see your body in midlife.