How women view their body image can affect their self confidence. Some of you reading may ask to yourself “what exactly is body image?”. Body image is what a woman thinks of herself when she looks into a mirror. It all boils down to how you feel in your own skin. You may have a negative or positive body image. You may also ask yourself “why are women are so focused on body image?”. Women in today’s society are hyper focused on body image because of the way women are portrayed in the media and all around them. Women are pushed to fit impossible standards of beauty and it can push them to the edge. A negative body image can affect a woman’s sexuality drastically. A negative body image is also put women at risk for confidence issues, eating disorders, or even depression. 
Recently The Journal of the National Cancer Institute has drawn attention to the body image of women with mastectomies. The Institute found that younger women had a harder time accepting their sexuality after mastectomy surgery. The younger women had a high standard of physical beauty and hyper focused on body image, therefore when their breast were removed or manipulated the women were distressed. The younger women worried about dating after surgery because they believed that their body image affected their sexuality as a women. Infertility may also affects how a woman perceives her sexuality. In breast cancer patients there may be premature menopause, which makes estrogen levels drop and sexual drive slow down. A young woman may feel as if this makes her less, but this is indeed not true. As a society we need to work on accepting different abnormalities as if they were everyday things. We need to change the idea that a woman must have perky breast and a ridiculous sex drive in order to be desirable. We are women, no matter what. 
Lastly, a topic that connect to body image that is a huge issue for women is eating disorders. Factors that can cause an eating disorder are low self esteem, feeling of lack of control, depression, anxiety, or body image issues. Our society glorifies the idea of being skinny or small. They throw it in your face in the media with fad diets and thin women modeling clothes in every magazine. Eating disorder do not discriminate across gender, religion or ethnicity. Lesbian women report higher levels of self esteem, body image issues, and issues with sexual attractiveness that lead to eating disorders. While the rate of eating disorders is almost the same across Non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians in the U.S, there is a larger problem with anorexia nervosa in Non-Hispanic White populations. Any one you know could have an eating disorder weather it be your friend, your neighbor, or your coworker. In the United States 20 million women suffer from clinically significant eating disorders. We have to continue to ask ourselves as a society as to why this is such a prevalent issue. We need to teach young girls that our body are temples. Our bodies are not toys for men, areas for judgement, and do not define our sexuality. We as women are strong and are in control of our own bodies. Our body, Our Sexuality. 
Hotlines for eating disorders
The National Eating Disorder Association-800-931-2237
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders-630-577-1330
Bulimia and Self Help Hotline-1-314-588-1683
Bibliography
“Body Image.” Womenshealth.gov, 27 Mar. 2019, www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/body-image-and-mental-health/body-image.
“Body Image and Eating Disorders .” Body Image | Campus Health, campushealth.unc.edu/health-topics/body-image-eating-disorders/body-image.
Goldberg, Haley. “Ericka Hart Posed Topless to Show Other Black Breast Cancer Survivors They’re Not Alone.” SELF, SELF, 15 Nov. 2017, www.self.com/story/ericka-hart.
LR, Schover. “Department of Urology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195-5041.” Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs, 1 Jan. 1994, europepmc.org/abstract/med/7999462.
“Perfect Isn’t Real: Why the Body Positive Movement Is so Important.” Thrivetalk, 2 Apr. 2019, www.thrivetalk.com/perfect-isnt-real-body-positive-movement-important/.
Unknown. “Phases of Eating Disorder Recovery.” Phases of Eating Disorder Recovery, 1 Jan. 1970, kelsisprogressionobsession.blogspot.com/2013/04/phases-of-eating-disorder-recovery.html.