Reclaiming the Body // Women, Self-Esteem and Cultural Beauty Norms

In a region where image often speaks louder than words, women’s bodies have become a canvas for cultural expectations; curated and scrutinised. The pressure to achieve a near-impossible standard of beauty; slim but curvy, effortless yet maintained is not just a visual ideal. It’s a psychological burden. Dr Valan Valentine, M.A., clinical psychologist at Thrive Wellbeing, explores in this article the issues around self-esteem, cultural body norms and reclaiming the body.

In the Gulf, and particularly in the UAE, the intersection of global beauty trends and regional cultural values has created a uniquely intense image-driven environment. As a psychologist, I see how this affects women on a deeply personal level. Clients often describe their sense of self-worth as fragile, hinging not on their achievements, relationships or values, but on their ability to meet an ever-moving aesthetic target. This is not vanity; it’s survival in a system that rewards beauty with visibility, validation, and opportunity.

The filtered perfection on social media, booming aesthetics industry and unspoken norms around suitability and success all contribute to a relentless inner dialogue for many women: Am I enough? Do I look right? Will I be chosen, accepted, admired?

This constant self-surveillance effects mental well-being. Many women experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and low self-esteem; not necessarily because they dislike their bodies, but because they feel trapped in a comparison cycle they didn’t choose and find impossible to get out of. Even those who appear confident often admit to feeling like they are performing wellness or self-love rather than living it.

Beneath the surface, there is a growing, quieter revolution happening. More women are exploring paths of body neutrality, shifting from needing to love their body at all times, to simply being with it, without judgment. Body neutrality allows room for peace. It asks: Can I see myself beyond the mirror? Can I care for my body without obsessing over its shape?

Therapeutically, this means helping clients redirect their energy away from appearance and toward function, identity and experience. We explore what their body allows them to do; hold children, express joy, move through the world and not just how it looks. We challenge internalized beliefs rooted in cultural or familial messaging, replacing them with compassionate, realistic self-talk. We make space for grief too: the sadness of chasing unattainable ideals for years, the exhaustion of constant pressure and self-modification.

Self-acceptance doesn’t mean giving up. It means choosing to opt out of a harmful game. It means redefining success in more expansive, inclusive terms and speaking about these pressures openly, so women know they are not alone in feeling not enough. Reclaiming the body is not simply to reject beauty norms, it is to return to a deeper relationship with oneself. A relationship not built on how others see us, but how we live in our skin.