What exactly is “the science of an ugly phase?” Well, one Los Angeles woman has taken to TikTok to break it down.
On July 24, Bella Silva (@itsbellsilvs) explained what she’s dubbed “the science of an ugly phase” to inform the current state she’s in and the way she’s been feeling about her physical appearance lately.
“So I’m in an ugly phase, and women, I think we all know what this is, OK? It’s when you’re not feeling yourself. You feel like you’re ugly, like you’ve never looked worse,” Silva starts. “Do you look the same as you did when you felt pretty? Yes, but it’s a feeling, OK?”
‘I’m getting rid of all the bad that is inside of me making me ugly’
Silva explains what she believes to be the function of the ugly phase — which is that once you’re through it, you emerge a “hotter” version of yourself.
“It’s like I’m shedding the past version of myself and I’m gonna emerge hotter than I was before,” she says. “Will I look the same? Probably, but that’s not the point. The point is it’s a feeling, OK? And right now, that’s why I haven’t been posting on TikTok, because I’m going through an ugly phase. … I’m breaking out, I’m purging, I’m getting rid of all the bad that is inside of me making me ugly.”
Added Silva, “My next pretty phase, I’ll be hotter than my previous pretty phase. … But right now, I am ugly. I don’t know how else to explain it, OK? I’m just ugly. I’ll be pretty again probably next week, but that’s why I haven’t been posting here.”
According to Dr. Ketan Parmar, a psychiatrist and mental health expert, while body image and self-esteem are closely connected, the ways in which they affect one another vary.
“If you have a positive body image, you are more likely to have high self-esteem, and vice versa,” Dr. Parmar tells In The Know by Yahoo. “However, having a negative body image does not mean you have low self-esteem, and having a positive body image does not mean you have high self-esteem. They are separate but interrelated aspects of your self-concept.”
While some individuals may be predisposed to feelings of dissatisfaction with their self-image due to psychological or environmental factors, spending time with people who uplift you may combat this negative self-talk.
“The people you spend time with can have a big impact on your body image and self-esteem,” he says. “Try to surround yourself with people who are supportive, respectful and encouraging of you and your goals. Avoid people who are negative, critical or judgmental of you or your appearance. You can also seek out people who share your interests or values, or who inspire you to grow and learn.”
‘It’s giving luteal phase’
Many TikTok users, it appears, are also likening what Silva’s describing to what a woman feels during the luteal phase, the second part of the menstrual cycle, which occurs around the 15th day of a 28-day cycle. Generally, it ends when your period starts.
Feelings of body dissatisfaction, according to Dr. Tory Eisenlohr-Moul, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Illinois, Chicago, can also spike in the perimenstrual weeks of the menstrual cycle, that is, around the time of your period.
“We’ve found that people who are on the continuum of hormone sensitivity have this window of risk around their periods, where feelings of body dissatisfaction can be amplified,” she tells Teen Vogue. “This can apply to anything that is bothering you, any feelings of shame or insecurity — all of those feelings will really just be amped up.”
Fellow creators who resonate with Silva’s explanation about the “ugly” phase have taken to her comments to corroborate her theory.
“For me it’s my skin breaking out, bloating and hair frizzing up,” @yelhsa7777 wrote.
“It’s giving luteal phase,” @jademonet888 commented.
“me every luteal phase,” @222demi wrote, to which Silva replied, “Honestly true.”
Mary Anne Cohen, a licensed psychotherapist and the director of the New York Center for Eating Disorders, corroborates Silva’s assertion that these negative feelings will ultimately pass.
“Bad feelings usually have a beginning, a middle and an end,” she tells In The Know by Yahoo. “Find ways of self-soothing and self-care will help you treat yourself with more kindness. Cultivate self-compassion for yourself. Nobody every gets to achieve perfection. We all have things about our bodies that we don’t like. We are all in the same boat.”
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The post This woman claims she’s in an ‘ugly phase,’ and some creators think it could be related to menstrual cycles: ‘I’ll be pretty again probably next week’ appeared first on In The Know.
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