Body image self-assessment quiz

19 I think some people would say I've got an ego problem lol!

i got a 10. I actually thought it would be higher since i am pretty happy with my body but who doesnt get uncomfortable "sometimes"? I'd think i had a problem if i didnt!

Well, now I'm bummed.

You have scored 11 points.

SCORE 10-20
You live comfortably in your body - most of the time. However, your body image and, therefore, your self-confidence can from time to time be a little shaky and there is a risk that certain situations could make you anxious on account of the way you feel about your body, size, shape or appearance. There are several aspects to this that you may need to work on in order to reduce this anxiety and make your life more comfortable.
First of all ask yourself how much do your feelings about your body actually stop you from doing the things which could give you pleasure, such as buying new clothes, being close to someone you love, or even enjoying your holidays. If the truth is that your body image is getting in the way, you may need to take stock.
Perhaps you should ask yourself whether it is your body which is 'wrong' or your feelings about your body which need to be adjusted. Is there perhaps one part of your body you are at war with, (like your tummy or your legs) which is colouring the way you feel about your entire self? How much have you taken on board the completely unrealistic pressures on us all to look like supermodels? No-one can be perfect and it isn’t likely that people will see you as you see yourself.
You may need to do a little work on your self-confidence and self-esteem to help you overcome the minor body image problems that you have and live your life to the full. Life is not a rehearsal and if we 'wait until' our body shape is the way we really want it, we may not do some of the things we would really like to do.
It isn’t advisable to solve a body image problem by rushing into a diet or throwing yourself into an exercise programme. If you would like to learn a few useful exercises which will help you feel better about your body (and they really work) see them below, and enjoy a better quality of life.



Accurate. Course, I'm bloated today. Tomorrow, it'd likely be lower.

I scored a 26 - And I really expected that I'd be a higher number. Maybe I have body image image issues.

14 I've never been real big on downing myself and my appearance...well, I can say never..but I can say since I've been out of high school and realized that I don't let other people's opinions of me dictate how I'm going to feel about me.

You have scored 80 points.




SCORE 40+

You are suffering from a condition called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) which is translated as body hatred. This is not a reflection of how you actually look or how other people see you, because there are very many people who have physical handicap, or, who look different from the norm. But they do not feel this badly about themselves. Similarly there are people who look very normal in reality but they experience this sense of deep hostility toward the way they look. BDD and a damaged sense of self-esteem go hand in hand.

People with BDD are at high risk of developing a variety of serious emotional problems such as social phobias, depression and eating disorders. Anorexia and bulimia for example, are examples of BDD, but BDD shows itself in many ways, some people develop an obsession with weighing themselves, seeking cosmetic surgery or engaging in punishing exercise regimes.

Forget diets, obsessive exercise plans or surgery – BDD is a form of emotional illness and requires urgent attention from a qualified therapist. Counselling can heal the distorted body feelings and also release you from the behavioural problems that you may have adopted as a result of having these feelings. It is helpful to trace back your body image memories to early childhood to uncover where the negative feelings first emerged. The therapist will need to know if you had pressure from others to look a certain way or if you were upset by unacceptable physical or emotional attention. Or perhaps you were teased and made to feel inadequate about the way you looked.

The therapist will also need to work with you to improve your general self-esteem. There are many things that can be done which will help you feel better about yourself. Learning assertion skills, communication skills and ways of managing your emotions will always be met by a recovery in the way you experience your physical body.

Doing this exercise is the first step toward recovery of body and personal self-confidence. We have brought to your attention just how imprisoned you have been till now by feelings and ideas about your body. However we trust that this will provide you with an incentive to deal with it and acquire the confidence that you deserve.

64....... I knew most of this already and am slowly dealing with it. It would have been ever worse a year ago.

Meh.

I scored 63, it then goes on to tell me I'm body dysmorphic.....what a load of old tosh!! I'm fat....I don't like being fat end of story!!!

You have scored 20 points.

SCORE 10-20
You live comfortably in your body - most of the time. However, your body image and, therefore, your self-confidence can from time to time be a little shaky and there is a risk that certain situations could make you anxious on account of the way you feel about your body, size, shape or appearance. There are several aspects to this that you may need to work on in order to reduce this anxiety and make your life more comfortable.
First of all ask yourself how much do your feelings about your body actually stop you from doing the things which could give you pleasure, such as buying new clothes, being close to someone you love, or even enjoying your holidays. If the truth is that your body image is getting in the way, you may need to take stock.
Perhaps you should ask yourself whether it is your body which is 'wrong' or your feelings about your body which need to be adjusted. Is there perhaps one part of your body you are at war with, (like your tummy or your legs) which is colouring the way you feel about your entire self? How much have you taken on board the completely unrealistic pressures on us all to look like supermodels? No-one can be perfect and it isn’t likely that people will see you as you see yourself.
You may need to do a little work on your self-confidence and self-esteem to help you overcome the minor body image problems that you have and live your life to the full. Life is not a rehearsal and if we 'wait until' our body shape is the way we really want it, we may not do some of the things we would really like to do.
It isn’t advisable to solve a body image problem by rushing into a diet or throwing yourself into an exercise programme. If you would like to learn a few useful exercises which will help you feel better about your body (and they really work) see them below, and enjoy a better quality of life.

40 points, apparently right on the borderline for BDD according to this quiz.

BUT, I have social anxiety disorder and some of these questions are about situations that would trigger that. So I'm not sure how accurate this actually is for me.

58... it says I have BDD, I do not have BDD, my body IS actually that bad :P BDD is for people who see their body in a way that is not true. I see the truth!

Maybe, maybe not. You can be concerned about something that is observably true (e.g., "I have a big nose", when your nose is larger than nearly everyone else's) but it can become BDD if it occupies enough mental space and impairs social function.

I get that. I have thought about it and my issue with the test is that is asks how often you feel negative feelings, but it never lets you quantify the magnitude of those feelings. There is no separation between "feel a little bad/uncomfortable" and "feel hideous and mortified" There is a big difference between those two things. While there are definite times that I really hate my fat body and my sagging stomach and my back fat and my frizzy hair and my crooked nose, etc. Most of the time I just feel a little off about it. Like when meeting new people, I do feel negative often because I wonder if they are judging me, but I don't feel hideously ugly, and I don't think it is out of proportion to how I actually look.

Edited to add: I do not have trouble with meeting new people, I will wear a swimsuit in front of people, and shorts, and get in hot tubs and public pools and beaches. Even if I don't like how I look, it very very rarely stops me from doing things in my life.

Also, if a thin, societally beautiful person scored that high, it would indicate a much larger problem than someone who does not meet cultural norms and is obese and has unfavourable fat distribution.

I found I couldn't actually do it!! Not because I feel bad, but I have only in the last few weeks, conciously, felt any confidence whatsoever.... still a long way to go (just over 100lbs down and maybe 50 - 60lbs left to go?) but I have recently been in new company of reaaalllly attractive people and I felt fine, but looking in the mirror i feel nauseous!!!!
so i found my answers were contradicting each other... but I am going in the right direction... definitely