Body Image at Fox: Do Christian Communities Promote Healthy Self-Esteem?

Reported By: Sierra Reisman

Illustrated By: Addie Patterson

The American Psychological Association defines body image as “the mental picture one forms of one’s body as a whole, including its physical characteristics…and one’s attitudes toward these characteristics.” Body image is what we think we look like, and it is oftentimes wrapped up in every unpleasant stereotype, judgemental comment, and unrealistic standard we’ve encountered. Even in religious communities, we often hear mixed messages. At times, our bodies are derided as corrupt and sinful, and at other times, they are uplifted as being made in the image of God (the imago dei). With so many conflicting messages, young people often struggle to develop a grounded sense of self-worth. 

Debrianna DeBolt, a pastor with George Fox University (GFU) Spiritual Life weighed in by sharing that conversations about self–worth and body image “almost always come up as a mentorship and care piece.” Although DeBolt is fairly new to GFU, she has experience in residential life and student wellness at other Christian universities. Concerning body image, she shared what she’s observed: “It’s something that’s not discussed; places think it’s unimportant, or don’t know how to talk about it.” This is something she is working to change. 

Body image can be a challenging topic in Christian spaces because of the disconnect between body and spirit. Debolt explains that “there’s a narrative in the church that my flesh and my spirit are at war, which is not really what scripture is saying, and teaches an unhelpful narrative that our bodies are bad.” Rather than embracing this disconnect, Debolt suggests the “goal is to find harmony.” By inviting God into our struggles with self-worth, we’re able to find a different perspective, the perspective of a creator who made us good, both in our bodies and spirits and “God really wants to meet us in those spaces.” 

According to one study, there’s a strong correlation between a person’s self-esteem and the way their religious beliefs approach the body. For those who see the body as holy and united with the spirit, they are more likely to feel positively about their bodies. Whereas those who see the body and the spirit as separate, and the body as corrupt, are more likely to feel shame. Likewise, purity culture, a pervasive belief in some Christian circles, tends to promote poor self-image, especially for women, by treating their bodies as sinful and shameful. 

Based on a survey of GFU students, most were fairly satisfied with the climate around body image issues, with the notable exception of calling on GFU health and fitness classes to take a more conscientious approach to topics like weight, BMI, and calorie counting. In general, many students expressed an ‘imago dei’ approach to self-worth, centering their self-image on the idea of being created in the image of God. 

For any students struggling with self-worth, DeBolt recommends returning to the creation story in Genesis, as a reminder that God created everything good. Because low self-esteem can be so engrained, she also suggests a non-judgemental approach to insecurities: be “curious about your insecurities” and willing to ask questions “when shame cycles start.” As Christian communities work to undo the damage of purity culture and shame-based theology, “younger people have a task of redeeming something that was never really broken in the first place.” Developing healthy self-esteem is a life-long journey, and an important step is “knowing you’re not alone in that journey and being courageous to start some conversations.”