Seventeen-year-old Marina walked down a crowded street in her hometown. Soon to be a senior in high school, she found herself surrounded by college students who had just returned for the fall semester. They filled the sidewalks, shopping for dorm supplies, chatting in groups, and moving confidently through the town. For Marina, however, this scene quickly became overwhelming and distressing.

Marina spent much of her day preoccupied with how she looked. Insecure about her body, she constantly compared herself to others, desperately seeking a sense of validation. Yet this habit rarely brought relief—more often it left her feeling discouraged and depressed. As she walked, her eyes scanned the college students around her, focusing on young women her age. Out of all possible comparisons, she locked in on one specific body part: their stomachs.

Research shows that women often compare individual body parts to those of others. Marina, sensitive about her stomach, carefully examined whether her peers’ midsections appeared flatter, thinner, or more toned than her own. She longed for a lean, flat stomach and used these comparisons as a distorted measure of her self-worth.

Appearance-based comparisons, however, do more than worsen body dissatisfaction. They also encourage reliance on external validation, through face-to-face encounters or on social media. Studies consistently find that people who engage in body comparisons tend to compare themselves upward, meaning they focus on those........

© Psychology Today