BODY IMAGE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN WOMEN IN THE AGING PROCESS

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the relationship between the aging process, body image, and psychological distress in women. Aging is a universal phenomenon that involves physical, psychological, and social changes, influenced by cultural standards that value youth and thinness, generating stigma toward the aging body. In the female context, it is observed that socially imposed aesthetic pressure can generate conflicts between real and idealized identity, resulting in feelings of insecurity and frustration. Thus, this research consists of an integrative literature review. At the end of the selection process, 10 studies were included, obtained through searches in the BVS, LILACS, SciELO, PubMed, and Pepsic databases, published between 2016 and 2026, using previously established descriptors and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis of the studies shows that body image in female aging goes beyond the sphere of individual perception, constituting a phenomenon shaped by social representations, cultural beauty standards, and health conditions, capable of influencing psychological distress and mental well-being. It is concluded that the re-signification of beauty and the way older women perceive aging act as protective factors capable of promoting quality of life in aging.