More than a Mirror: Body Image, Food and the Healing Power of Cultural Humility
Discover a compassionate approach to therapy that honors diverse cultural narratives and fosters healing beyond the Western gaze.
Transformative Power of Cultural Humility
The Interplay of Culture and Body Image
Understanding Food and Emotional Connections
Cultural humility in this context means recognising that no single approach to beauty or health is universal. It asks us to remain open, curious, and respectful of the diverse cultural frameworks our clients bring with them. It’s not about having all the answers; it’s about listening, honouring each person’s lived experience, and understanding how culture shapes relationships with food, movement, and the body. For some, health may be about strength and vitality. For others, it may centre around community, ritual, or spirituality. Beauty might mean softness, curves, and resilience, or it might mean simplicity and function. When we work from a culturally humble perspective, we allow these differences to exist without judgment.
Challenging the Western Gaze
Mainstream wellness culture often promotes a singular, Western ideal: thinness as health, restriction as discipline, and deviation from this norm as failure. These ideas are not just exclusionary; they can be harmful. They erase the fullness of our bodies, our cultural traditions, and our right to define what wellness means on our own terms. Our work is not just about healing the individual; it’s about gently disrupting the distorted narratives that harm us all. In honouring diverse cultural understandings of health and beauty, we create space for more inclusive, compassionate conversations around our bodies.
Reframing food, reclaiming Joy
Cultural Connections and Collective Memory
In therapy, we can work together to unlearn the messages that say you must shrink to be worthy. We explore the stories you’ve inherited, about beauty, gender, family, and food. We ask: Who benefits from these ideals? And who do they leave out? We also invite joy back to the table. Food can be pleasurable, nourishing, and grounding. Your body is not a problem to be solved. It is a home to be lived in.
This is where cultural humility becomes central to my work. Unlike cultural competence, which implies a finite knowledge of “other” cultures, cultural humility grounds me in approaching every client with openness, curiosity, and deep respect. It acknowledges that each person’s experience of food, body, and self is shaped by unique cultural and social contexts—and that no single narrative, especially not the dominant Western one, should define what beauty or health looks like.
Clients often come to me burdened by shame: for loving food, for eating “too much,” for not fitting into narrow ideals of thinness or discipline. Many have internalised stereotypes about their communities or families, that they are “too indulgent,” “unhealthy,” or “lacking willpower.” These are not just harmful ideas; they are colonising forces, flattening rich cultural relationships with food and body into something that must be controlled or corrected.
Understanding Cultural Humility
The Role of Cultural Humility in Therapy
In our work together, we explore where these beliefs come from, and whom they serve. We unpack not just the internalised voice of the inner critic, but the external forces that shaped it: media, medical systems, racialised and gendered expectations, and generational trauma. We also make space for what’s been lost: pleasure, intuition, tradition, connection. We learn to see the body not as a project, but as a place of wisdom, resilience, and presence. As a therapist, I don’t offer quick fixes. But I do offer space, a space where the fullness of your identity is welcome and where your relationship with food is not pathologised. A space where healing is not about assimilation, but about remembering what you already know in your bones.
Reclaiming Joy in Therapy
Unlearning Shame and Embracing Self
Dr. Fevronia (Fenia) Christodoulidi
Dr. Fevronia (Fenia) Christodoulidi is a distinguished BACP-accredited psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. With a culturally informed and body-affirming approach, she specializes in helping individuals navigate the complexities of body image and food relationships. Drawing from her rich cultural heritage and professional expertise, Dr. Fenia offers a compassionate and inclusive therapeutic environment. Her work is deeply rooted in cultural humility, allowing clients to explore their narratives within a supportive and non-judgmental space. Dr. Fenia is committed to guiding her clients towards healing by honoring their unique stories and lived experiences.
