So why is this on a photographers web site ?


My other work is with people, both in teams within organisations and individually on a 1 on 1. Coaching by definition is about taking somebody to where they want to be. This involves helping them understand more about themselves and from that where they really do want to go. It's an empowering and liberating experience.


While I work with clients on coaching a strong-focus for my work is on self-esteem and particularly  body image.


The skill of a coach is to work with somebody in the way that works for them to get the results they want - I appreciate that statement is  full of vagueness but it is very true.


Although I work on general coaching, I am the regions only specialist on body image coaching. Body Image coaching helps create a more balanced view of yourself and in doing so can have far-reaching benefits in many areas of your life.

 

"Body image is how somebody perceives their own body to be, not necessarily how it really is"

Western society is intensely preoccupied with body size, placing enormous pressure on individuals (both female and increasingly male) to conform to the perceived ideal of body weight. This influence is imposed from early childhood, through adolescents and into adulthood.


Although the ideal for men has changed to encourage a more muscular, lean frame, the focus of the extreme messages and pressures has been on females. Interestingly, the ideal shape tends to be whatever is most difficult to achieve during a given time period. So in times of shortage, being curvy and a voluptuous look would in vogue, where as now we live in a world of incredibly high-calorie food, high sugar and fats the ideal is seen as a size 6 with a tiny waist with large boobs.


After all, if too many women were able to meet the ideal, then standards would have to change for the ideal to retain its extraordinary aspiration-al nature.


To reach the ideal shape is becoming harder and harder to achieve as time goes on......


The step change in western society is the degree to which we are concerned. This is part of a bigger concern of complying (to the right brand of jeans, or shoes or kitchen even) Previously there had mild concern to the current perceived ideal, but now the media have bombarded us with images. This has given us a very rigid set of ideals to aspire to.


Being bombarded by these images by the media has given us very rigid, uniform beauty ideals. TV, magazines, billboards mean we see beautiful people more often than we see members of our family, the ideal becomes more familiar to us than our friends and thus appears normal and attainable - Beautiful has become the norm.


Each image is carefully crafted to ensure it meets with what the magazines and TV believes sells to the general public. Throughout history there has been the occasional figure that has changed peoples paradigms on how they should be. Notably Marilyn Monroe with a voluptuous size 16 and Twiggy who weighed 6.5 stone and had a body shape of a pre-pubescent boy.


You can’t easily change the environment in which you live but you can change the effect it has on you.


For further information just get in touch

NEW!


The coach & photo shoot package


3 hours combing a photo shoot and life coaching. This is a unique package and is all about you looking and feeling good  currently £150

"Body image coaching helps you view yourself in a more balanced way"