Recently, the trend of ‘body profile’ photography, where individuals capture images of their bodies for personal satisfaction, is spreading like wildfire among Gen Z. However, as these photos are often taken within a short time frame, individuals are forced to resort to extreme fasting and high-intensity workouts, leading to a surge in adverse health effects. So, how can one prepare for a body profile photo shoot in a healthy way?
What is a Body Profile?
In the past, body profiles were mainly taken by professional fitness trainers and celebrities. However, nowadays, the desire to capture one’s youthful physique has ignited a body profile craze. The problem is that these photos are often taken after a short period of intense dieting and exercise without professional guidance, which can harm one’s health.
Why Taking Body Profile Pictures Become Trendy
Body profiling isn’t just about taking photos. It’s about using those photos posted on social media as motivation for self-care. By sharing images of their workouts and results, individuals gain satisfaction from portraying an image of thorough self-management.
Extreme dieting can lead to eating disorders, so be careful
When on a short-term diet, individuals often resort to extreme dietary methods, like one-food diets, to lose weight quickly. This can lead to anorexia, a disorder characterized by an obsessive fear of gaining weight and a refusal to eat. On the other hand, a compensatory mentality can kick in after the dieting period, leading to binge eating disorder, where individuals eat large amounts in a single sitting.
Dangerous diets can be risky
When preparing for a body profile photo shoot, individuals often resort to extreme fasting, completely cutting out carbohydrates and only eating chicken, vegetables, and sweet potatoes for three meals a day. They even limit their water intake a week before the shoot. This is done to capture the most defined muscles and facial contours. However, maintaining such a diet for several months can have adverse effects on both physical and mental health.
Different body parts lose weight at other times
When dieting, individuals often have areas of the body where fat is particularly stubborn. This is because different body parts have other distributions of fat and muscle. For instance, the thighs have a high concentration of receptors that inhibit fat breakdown, making weight loss in this area particularly slow. On the other hand, the upper body is densely packed with components that aid fat breakdown, so weight loss in areas like the stomach and legs tends to occur faster, which can cause stress.
Have you heard of Rhabdomyolysis?
Rhabdomyolysis, a condition where excessive exercise and extreme dieting can cause muscle breakdown and impair kidney function, is on the rise, particularly among younger individuals. This condition can be diagnosed early through blood tests, so if you’re preparing for a body profile and experience symptoms such as muscle pain, swelling, or changes in urine color (to red or brown), it’s essential to seek medical attention immediately.
Middle-aged and older individuals are also joining the challenge
Body profile photography, once considered the exclusive domain of young adults in their 20s and 30s, is now being embraced by middle-aged and older individuals. Unlike more youthful people, whose workouts show immediate results, older individuals may not see changes as quickly, requiring more persistence. However, many are starting to exercise to regain their health and are using body profile photography as a final goal, garnering much support.
Body fillers are also gaining popularity
Asians generally have more fat than muscle in their lower bodies, making it difficult to achieve an ideal volume. To improve the overall body line, body fillers such as hip and buttock fillers are gaining popularity. The greatest advantage of body fillers is that they can create a natural-looking, three-dimensional volume, and perfect line without leaving any visible traces. Additionally, the procedure only takes about 10 minutes. It leaves no scars, making it popular among those wanting to prepare for a body profile photo shoot in a short period.
Many rely on photo editing
The better your body, the better the photos. However, to better showcase muscle size and body curves, photo editing is often inevitable. Not only the body but also the face and skin are retouched to create a single portrait. This results in a maximized version of the current self in the photos. As a result, many rely more on photo editing than actually working on their bodies. There have even been controversies where individuals created results solely through photo editing without any exercise.
How to take a healthy body profile photo?
The reason why adverse effects occur when taking body profile photos is often due to the pressure to achieve maximum results in a short period. Therefore, it’s essential to set a long-term, manageable exercise schedule. When it comes to diet, it’s recommended to consume a balanced diet in moderation and focus more on the diet as the photo shoot approaches. During the preparation period, it’s crucial not to be too harsh on oneself and to remember that this is being done for one’s benefit, so it’s important to keep a relaxed mindset.
By. Jeon Shin Young
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