Everyone has a body image, and whether from society’s influence or age-related changes, most people battle a negative one. In a world with confusing messages about the body and social media’s promotion of unattainable standards for thinness or muscularity, it’s difficult to think well about our bodies. In Struggling with Body Image: Seeing What God Sees, Lainey Greer, a counselor and fitness trainer with a firsthand understanding of body image struggles, helps readers reject negative messages and embrace a biblical vision for thinking about our bodies.
While some people might assess their bodies positively and others with indifference, most people suffer from negative body image. For that reason, Struggling with Body Image focuses on negative body image and equips readers with biblical tools that will help them build a God-honoring body image. The author also shares stories about others’ struggles with body image to help identify the most common root issues of a negative body image.
In this interview, we talk to Lainey about what body image is and why our bodies matter to God.
Q: Why is body image an important topic, especially for Christians? If it’s such an important topic, why is the body in general and body image specifically so seldomly discussed in the church?
Body image is an important topic for Christians because God created our bodies and, in the incarnation, took one himself. He also commands us to glorify him in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). This instruction informs our actions and should include the thoughts we nurture about our physical frame. We need to recognize that a God-honoring body image falls within that command, a command that is meant to guide all thoughts and actions for our good.
Sadly, the body in general and body image specifically are seldomly discussed in the church, as believers have often misunderstood the body and its importance in the Christian faith. How sad that such an important topic is often ignored, leaving Christians of all kinds of bodies trying to sort out their body image based on what they hear or see in popular culture!
Q: What is the goal of your book, Struggling with Body Image? Who was it written for?
The goal of this book is to help believers develop a biblical understanding of the body that is foundational for a God-honoring body image. Everyone has a body image, and whether from popular culture stereotypes, social media, physical struggles, or age-related changes, most people battle a negative one. But because your body matters to God, it is important that his Word, and not the world, informs your body image.
This book is for those who personally struggle with negative body image, and also for those who want to help a loved one, or seek deeper understanding in order to advise those in your care. It will help you to hold a body image that honors God by seeing your body as he does, and it will help you to guide others to do the same. Reflection questions will also guide you to think about each chapter’s content more deeply and apply it practically.
Q: Would you be willing to share some of your own struggles with body image?
I first recall body image struggles during elementary and middle school. Always the tallest in class, I was teased about my size and was even referred to as “hoss” and “big boned” by some family members. When I was in the 5th grade, I vividly remember a boy’s cruel remark that I was “too big to be a girl,” which of course only deepened my insecurities.
In middle and high school, I found that my size was an advantage in sports like basketball and softball. But I still continued to be very self-consciousness, comparing certain body parts to other girls and feeling very self-conscious after noticeable scars from a bike accident. Thinking back over these “flaws” now sounds ridiculous. But in those formative years, I obsessed over them. I was uncomfortable and ashamed of my body. I realize now that my issues were like the struggles experienced by others, because nearly all of us—men and women, young and old—struggle with body image at some point.
After those formative years in my teens, I experienced a severe trial in my early twenties that led to depression and anorexia, worsening my body image. During this time, I worked in church ministry and as a personal trainer. I noticed that many Christians, including myself, struggled to care for their bodies. I also discipled young women facing similar body image and eating disorder issues. I found a lot of purpose in comforting others through my experiences (2 Corinthians 1:3). This sparked my passion for helping believers understand theology and the body.
Q: Tell us about your doctoral studies in theology and a biblical view of the body.
To develop a biblical framework that allows us to see our bodies the way God does, we need a theology of the body. Very simply, a theology of the body recognizes the major ways that Scripture talks about the body and then organizes the Bible’s teaching into clear themes. A theology of the body helps us understand how our bodies were made, how to value them, who they belong to, what they should do, and where they are going.
All of these aspects are essential for truly seeing our bodies as God sees them. When we study what Scripture says about how our bodies were made, we find that you and I were created as God’s embodied image-bearers, a fundamental reality that means God formed us as immaterial and material, soul and body beings. God designed us in his image as embodied men and women, whose souls and bodies are purposeful, full of dignity and value.
I devoted my doctoral work to developing a theology of human embodiment that I applied to body image. In this focus, I could see the Lord bring together the two passions that I’d had since college: theology and the body. So, I worked on discerning a biblical view of how God sees our bodies and connecting that to what it means to glorify him in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20). Part of glorifying God in the body implicates the thoughts we hold about our body. So, it is essential that Christians develop a theology of the body that can be a foundation for a healthy body image. In my doctoral work, I set out to develop a theology of the body based on 1 Corinthians 6:12–20. I discuss this passage in detail and the ways the Apostle Paul develops a Trinitarian approach to body image in order to correct the way the Corinthians thought about their bodies, which led them to sin and dishonor God with their bodies.
Q: What are the three components that make up a person’s body image?
Body image has three components: a mental picture, subjective filter, and resulting assessment. First, body image involves a mental depiction of your physical form. Second, that mental picture gets passed through a self-defined, subjective framework or filter. Third, that biased filtering results in an assessment, and the outcome describes your body image.
Essentially, body image is the way you visualize your body. It is an internalized picture of your physical appearance that may or may not reflect reality. Usually, that mental picture is skewed because it gets passed through a framework that springs from internal, idealized standards that you set for yourself. When that framework leads you to judge your body as inadequate and unsatisfactory, your thoughts, emotions, and actions are influenced by the negative ways you assess your body. All of this is included in what we mean when we talk about negative body image.
Q: What do we need to do in order to start seeing our bodies the way that God sees them?
To see our bodies as God sees does, Christians need to switch out the middle component of body image, that subjective filter. Rather than passing the mental picture through a subjective framework that results in a harsh assessment, Christians can replace their framework with a biblical one.
So, no matter the mental image you hold, as it passes through God’s Word, we focus our minds on truth, regardless of the perceived flaws in our mental picture. Then, by depending on God’s grace and choosing to agree with the way he sees our bodies, we release societal expectations that lead our minds and hearts away from truth to lies and negativity.
In this way, once we exchange the filter, we can assess our body according to Scripture, which produces a God-honoring body image. Just as doing other things God’s way is part of his good plans for us, so is viewing our bodies the way he does. As we move toward this goal, we need to learn about body image development.
Q: Where does negative body image come from? Are there any contributors that might be unexpected?
Negative body image is a perception of outward appearance that, when passed through a subjective framework, produces discontent when the body is assessed as lacking in some way. While you may entertain a mental picture of your entire body, negative body image can also focus on certain body parts. But it does not stop there. Holding unhelpful thoughts about your body can impact emotional wellbeing and lead to harmful actions that are intended to help you achieve whatever appearance ideals are driving your negative body image. So, for Christians who struggle to see their bodies as God does, we need a new framework, one that stands between our mental picture and resulting judgment. When we can leave behind our self-defined, subjective framework for an objective one that rests on God’s Word, we will be sufficiently equipped to deal with negative body image, tackle challenging emotions, and put a stop to harsh judgments and actions that do not glorify God.
Negative body image triggers are plentiful, often causing dejected emotions and potentially damaging actions. Triggers vary from person to person and can come from social interactions, getting on a scale, walking in front of a mirror, eating, self-talk, exercising, getting dressed, media exposure, and more. The primary contributors to negative body image are social, behavioral, and physical. Social factors include cultural expectations, the influence of family and friends, and media. Behavioral elements that contribute to negative body image are personality tendencies, habits, self-talk, and patterns of sin in our thinking, feeling, and acting. Physically, several biological realities like genetics, puberty, weight, and aging each contribute to negative body image.
Q: What are some of the signs of disordered responses to negative body image that we should be aware of in case we have a loved one who may be struggling?
Sadly, negative body image often leads to disordered responses. When we pass that mental body picture through a subjective filter and judge our appearance as lacking, behaviors aimed at fixing our “flaws” usually follow. To be clear, negative body image alone will not necessarily cause disordered responses or an eating disorder; other triggers are usually involved, like going through a traumatic event, having a desire for control, experiencing ridicule, lacking emotional regulation, or being driven by perfectionism. However, disorders are fueled by distorted thinking about the body, so when we address negative body image, we should also be alert to the possibility of an eating disorder or other problematic reactions as well.
And while not as concerning as the diagnosable disorders, Christians should guard against milder responses to negative body image. Some of these reactions include yo-yo dieting, spending excessive amounts of money on the latest supplement or equipment promising quick results, wasting hours each day on social media following fitness gurus, scheduling unnecessary plastic surgeries to fix superficial flaws, or developing such a preoccupation with meal and exercise planning that it interrupts your daily routine.
More severe responses can lead others to attempt to change their bodies to match their ideal form, and those unhealthy measures take many forms. These measures may mean restricting food or self-imposed starvation, as in anorexia, which has the highest mortality rate of all mental health issues. Similarly, bulimia nervosa can develop, which also has the goal of weight loss but is pursued through self-induced vomiting rather than starvation. Binge-eating disorder is akin to bulimia in its excessive consumption of food in a single-sitting, but unlike bulimia it does not compensate for the binge. Though eating disorders predominantly occur in females ages 12-35, one-third of those who suffer are males. And, while it may come at a surprise, a small percent of women aged 60 and up also experience them.
Q: How does the world respond to negative body image? How should Christians respond?
The world attempts to handle negative body image in a variety of ways: positive self-talk, body resilience, self-improvement strategies, bettering one’s relationship with her body, and loving one’s body. The trouble is that many of these responses to negative body image locate the solution within the individual, which is contrary to a biblical worldview. We can never be enough within ourselves to tackle our problems, which is why we need Christ.
One of the chapters in the book considers plastic surgery, the body positivity movement, and popular therapeutic approaches to negative body image like cognitive-behavioral therapy and the sociocultural model. As we walk through these attempts to deal with the problem of negative body image, we will note how, because of God’s common grace, many of these secular approaches unknowingly rely on biblical principles in certain aspects of how they respond to body dissatisfaction. It is important to discern the strengths of these approaches while also avoiding their weaknesses.
As believers, we look primarily to Scripture for guidance in all areas of life, and it is no different with body image. Because we all have a body image, and frequently have a negative one, as Christians we need to spend time developing a biblical perspective in this area. Gaining a biblical perspective requires that we first identify any wrong views that we hold about the body. After we’ve identified and rejected any lies or half-truths we’ve accepted, we can then embrace God’s view of the body. With it, we will be equipped to combat negative body image struggles, relinquish our own flawed and insufficient frameworks, and see our body as God does. And because the body matters to him, it is important to remember that how we think, feel, and act reflects what we believe about our bodies. Striving to glorify God even in the body means continually reflecting on what he says about it.
Q: What lies do Christians often believe about the body?
There are many, but these rank upon the most common:
- We apply the image of God to the soul and not the body.
- We view holiness as a spiritual pursuit that is hindered by physical matters.
- We miss the full promise of glorification.
- We forget that just as Christ took on a body in the incarnation, he remains embodied.
- We are confused about the meaning of “sarx,” the Greek word for flesh.
- We misconstrue Paul’s statement that physical training is only of some value.
- We make conclusions about the body based on individual verses read apart from context.
- We assume the body’s insignificance based on its temporary separation from the soul.
Q: What are a few of the biblical body image principles can we draw from 1 Corinthians 6:12–20?
I will first share the passage:
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:12–20
Some of the principles we can take from these verses:
- A God-honoring body image understands the strong temptation of worldly appearance standards and rejects giving into them (v.12).
- A God-honoring body image acknowledges the body is for the Lord and dedicates it solely to him (v.13).
- A God-honoring body image longs for the body’s future restoration while wisely accepting the fact that the body will not be perfected in this age (v.14).
- A God-honoring body image views the body as a member of Christ and treats it accordingly (v.15).
- A God-honoring body image seeks to intentionally glorify God in every aspect of embodied living (v.20).
- A God-honoring body image recognizes that the body is significant because it is connected to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (vv.19-20).
Q: How can we honor God in our bodies, the way they are right now?
Scripture shows us how to have a body image that honors God. When set in the context of typical body image issues, the framework from 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 can help to correct a negative body image in men and women of all ages. That process starts with listening to or reflecting on what led you to current distorted body thoughts. As you discern the cause(s), ask the Spirit to help you recognize, identify, and reject the lies you’ve believed about the body. Confession and repentance of those wrong thoughts are the next steps of healing. From there, you can make plans to address the influencing factors. Plans might involve using Scripture to counter the negative factors, beginning new habits, and behaviors, and learning to rely on the Spirit’s help to resist the temptation to give into negative body image cycles.
Because of the divine power given to us in the gospel, Christians can strive to switch out that middle filter, our subjective framework, for an objective one built on God’s Word. This striving to think biblically about our bodies will be a process, just as the battle against any sinful pattern takes time and intentional effort. But as we seek to know God’s Word, confess lies, receive forgiveness, renew our minds with truth, and rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to work in us, our body image will change.
Christians should rejoice, as the Bible contains all we need to battle negative body image. We need not look to therapeutical methods or cultural movements to correct our thoughts and soothe our minds, although we can learn some helpful strategies from them due to God’s common grace. The world cannot offer any lasting fixes through plastic surgery or the latest social media fad. In the struggle against negative body image, if we really desire a God- honoring body image, we must prioritize believing what he says rather than entertaining outside influences. Know his Word, and trust his help to exchange your thoughts for his truths. Then, act on those truths to glorify God in your body. Switching out your subjective framework for a biblical one will take time, but God has powerfully equipped you. Believe what he says, think his truths, and see your body as he sees it.
Struggling with body Image
Because our bodies matter to God, it’s important that his Word, not the world we live in, informs how we view our physical selves. Struggling with Body Image helps believers develop a biblical understanding of the body that is foundational for a God-honoring body image. Lainey Greer helps readers to see what God sees when he looks at us and gives a biblical basis for caring for our bodies without negativity or obsession.
