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Building Better Body Image - Suite U Course Review

© Deanna Couras Goodson

I must say that when I signed up to take this course, Building Better Body Image, I didn't think it would be as rewarding and as interesting as it proved to be. In the back of my mind, I chose it because I knew how poor my body image was. As an overweight woman who struggled with the eating disorder bulimia from the ages of 14 through 29, I try to avoid thinking about many of the concepts covered in Chantelle Cherise Dooley's course (currently taught by Suite maven, Jodi Wetherup). Of course, I know I must deal with them to improve the quality of my life.

From the get-go, I was impressed with the sensitivity that the course author uses to tackle this difficult and emotionally-charged concept. Ms. Dooley begins by explaining the difference between self-esteem, self-concept and self-image. She discusses how a distortion of one of these things can lead to problems in other areas.

Ms. Dooley also reminds us that "thinness" hasn't always been equated with attractiveness. (Oh! How I long for the Boticelli ideal beauty!) She asks us to define what "fat" and "thin" really mean to us. Often, they carry connotations of good and bad, which are so very detrimental to us.

Besides, what is beauty anyway? Who decides it? Better yet, how do you define it? Beauty, after all, is a multi-billion-dollar business. Making others feel bad about how they look is a great way to get us to buy products that will "improve" the way we look, right?

The student in this course is also given some great tips for improving body image. For example:

throw away your scale (wish I'd done that years ago)

stop using the mirror as self-punishment.

paint a naked portrait of yourself. You'll learn to appreciate the beauty of your natural body much more.

love and nuture yourself

The most important tip of this course and the one I hope that everyone will take the course for is this - live your life now. Don't wait to be thin to get great clothes. Don't wait to join that bowling league or go back to school.

You deserve a good life despite what the numbers on the scale say or Madison Avenue beauty 'mavens' would have you believe. Truth is you're probably fine just the way you are. Attempting to change yourself through the cycle of yo-yo dieting (which only makes you heavier) or an eating disorder will not help you feel better about yourself.