Esther Bautista, a psychologist specialising in eating disorders, warns that body dissatisfaction is appearing at increasingly early ages and that physical standards are already strongly affecting young men as well.

Esther Bautista psychologist Mallorca

Our relationship with the body is now more complex, more exposed and, in many cases, more conflictive. Esther Bautista Salinas, a psychologist specialising in Clinical Psychology, linked to the child and adolescent eating disorders programme at IBSMIA in Son Espases and coordinator of the Clinical Psychology Working Group within the National Health System at COPIB, reflects on aesthetic pressure, self-image and the fine line between health and obsession.

— How would you describe the current relationship with the body and self-image in society? Has it changed in recent years?
— In general terms, the relationship many people have with their bodies tends to be problematic or conflictive in today’s society. There is widespread body dissatisfaction that begins at increasingly early ages. For example, we know that 70% of adolescents do not feel comfortable with their bodies and that six out of ten teenage girls believe they would be happier if they were thinner. Although there has been progress towards acceptance and body diversity, there are still strong social pressures to fit certain aesthetic standards. Our relationship with the body in today’s society is more complex and plural than it was 15 years ago. We are witnessing a gradual shift from an exclusive focus on physical appearance to a more comprehensive approach that includes mental and physical health, emotional wellbeing and the functionality of the body.

— Is there greater aesthetic pressure in recent years? Would you say it is increasing?
— Yes. Despite social movements for body diversity, such as body positive, which seek to reduce this pressure and promote greater acceptance and body diversity, and despite there being greater awareness and public discourse against traditional beauty standards, aesthetic pressure has not decreased significantly in recent years. Rather, it has changed shape — becoming linked not only to thinness, but also to muscularity, skin, youth… — and in some respects it has increased, mainly due to digital overexposure and the omnipresence of idealised, unrealistic and edited images on social media. The groups under the greatest aesthetic pressure are adolescents and young adults, women, people with physical characteristics that do not fit conventional beauty standards — for example, being overweight — and also people living in specific cultural contexts. For example, in communities where access to social media is high, the pressure may be even more intense.

— Traditionally, aesthetic pressure was more associated with women, but in fitness it seems to be affecting young men more and more. Is that changing?
— Yes, it is definitely changing. Although aesthetic pressure has historically fallen more heavily on women, in recent years there has also been a notable increase among young men, especially in contexts related to fitness, weight training and an athletic physical appearance. At present, stereotypes encourage women to pursue thinness and men to pursue a muscular, defined and athletic body. This has generated growing pressure for many young people who seek to achieve that ideal standard through intensive exercise, strict dieting and, in some cases, the use of supplements or substances. This increase in male aesthetic pressure can lead to body dissatisfaction, compulsive exercise, eating disorders and so-called muscle dysmorphia, commonly known as vigorexia, a disorder in which the person perceives their body in a distorted way as too thin and not muscular enough, despite already being very developed, and which involves an obsession with building muscle mass and an irrational fear of looking small or weak, which can lead to an endless cycle of extreme training and dietary control. It is worth noting that gay men are the group most affected by eating disorders after heterosexual women. What these two populations have in common is that both are constructed through the male gaze.

— What role are social media platforms playing in the way we perceive our bodies?
— The proliferation of social media has increased constant exposure to idealised images of apparently “perfect” bodies — generally very thin or very muscular — which in the vast majority of cases are retouched or digitally edited. This can contribute to the development of a negative body image and create unattainable expectations, with unrealistic beauty ideals, leading people to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and develop a constant need to modify them in order to fit in. In addition, social media generally encourages social comparison, as people display themselves and receive approval through “likes”, comments and followers, which can generate a search for external validation linked to physical appearance. We know this affects self-esteem and body perception, and creates greater pressure to conform to specific aesthetic standards, especially among adolescents. Thanks to social media, trends related to fitness, dieting and self-care have become hugely popular, with influencers and trainers sharing routines, advice and body transformations, promoting certain physical standards as desirable goals. This can, in some cases, motivate people to adopt healthy habits, but it can also increase the pressure to meet these aesthetic standards or lifestyles and heighten the risk of feelings of guilt when they fail to do so. On the other hand, social media has also opened up space for movements that promote body acceptance, diversity in sizes, genders and ages, and that challenge traditional stereotypes while supporting mental health and self-esteem. It is very important to develop a critical and conscious use of these tools in order to protect mental health.

— To what extent does the rise of fitness respond to a real search for health, and to what extent is it about the need to fit certain standards?
— The current rise of fitness responds to multiple factors, among which we can say there is a growing and genuine concern in our society for health, something we can also observe, for example, in the decline in tobacco and alcohol consumption in recent years, especially among younger people. But here it is very important to bear in mind that the fitness movement is also a symbol of discipline, success and social acceptance. On the one hand, it is closely tied to capitalist logic: thinking about the body in terms of making it useful within a system of production and consumption. We tend to compare ourselves with models of people who get up early, meditate, go to the gym, socialise, dress well, work, have time for everything and do not even seem stressed. This image of the “perfect” person represents someone who fits the system’s demands: someone who maximises productivity in every aspect. When those expectations are not met, guilt appears. On the other hand, there is a strong cultural influence that associates physical appearance with personal worth and social acceptance. This can lead, in many cases, to the search for fitness becoming a way of trying to fit into specific physical standards — achieving the socially accepted and desired body — rather than focusing solely on overall wellbeing. The problem is that, in today’s fitness identity, your value as a person is closely linked to your body. The fine line between what is healthy and what is obsessive is a source of concern for mental health professionals. Cases of orthorexia, the obsession with healthy eating, are particularly difficult because they are not viewed so negatively by society, and this makes them much harder to identify as a problem and, therefore, much less likely to prompt people to seek help.

— In a context such as Mallorca, with strong exposure to leisure and tourism, do you think this pressure may be intensified?
— Yes, absolutely. The island is a popular sun-and-beach destination, and the constant exposure to beaches and leisure environments, especially during the hotter months when the body tends to be much more exposed, can create significant social pressure to fit particular physical standards. On the other hand, continuous interaction with tourists from different cultures and exposure to idealised images on social media and tourism-related media can generate greater comparison and, as a result, greater pressure on personal appearance. It may also be worth mentioning that the Balearic Islands lead Spain in the percentage of citizens on a diet, at 35.9%, and that the main reason is maintaining or reducing weight.

— Finally, where is the line between a healthy relationship with exercise and one based on obsession or control?
— What begins as a healthy lifestyle can become an extreme and harmful routine. Within fitness culture there is a very blurred boundary between commitment and obsession or over-demand. To talk about compulsive exercise (CE) or exercise addiction, we need to consider whether the person has a constant need to exercise excessively, devoting a great deal of time to it, continuing despite injury or illness, and negatively affecting daily life or interfering with other important areas such as family or friendships. When physical exercise becomes obsessive, there is great difficulty in being flexible or making adjustments to set plans or routines; it follows rigid rules and is used not so much for enjoyment or health, but to avoid negative consequences — for example, fear of not being muscular enough, or guilt for not feeling disciplined enough. Although it takes up a great deal of time, it is not so much the amount of time that matters as the thoughts and emotions surrounding exercise. For example, feeling extreme guilt about missing a workout or making up rest days with double training sessions are clearer indicators of compulsive exercise than the mere amount of time spent doing it. Although this condition affects both men and women, it manifests differently: among men, vigorexia and binge eating disorder are common, while in women anorexia and bulimia nervosa are more frequent. In terms of consequences, people who engage in compulsive exercise are at greater risk of fractures, injuries and heart problems. In addition, compulsive exercise is linked to interpersonal difficulties, poorer quality of life and higher levels of irritability and psychological distress, including anxiety and depression.

💡 Read the feature on the rise of fitness in Mallorca, included in our magazine Mallorca Global Mag.