This guide is part of the Body Confidence Course, a free video series where acclaimed sex coach Georgia Grace and psychologist Rashida Dungarwalla share the insights and exercises they use to help their clients build more body confidence every day.
There’s a lot that a supportive partner can do to help someone who’s struggling to feel confident and comfortable with their body, including their genitals.
If you’re not sure where to start, we recommend:
- Asking them what they need. Some people may respond well to affirmations, compliments or reminders, while others may prefer more neutral language
- Open communication. It may be useful to discuss the origins of feeling uncomfortable, depending on how comfortable your partner is with sharing it
- Acknowledging the power of language. Be aware of how you’re talking to your partner. There’s a big difference between,
“You’ll get over it” and “I want to help you work through it”, or “It’s just a body” and, “Your body isn’t everything, but I understand how important this is to you.”
- Learn together. Learning together shows your partner that you’re committed to working on this together. Lacking body confidence isn’t just a ‘them’ problem, rather it’s a very human concern that many people experience
- Couples therapy. We mean this in the best possible way: you’re not an expert! You can hold space for your partner, be kind and supportive towards them, but there is no expectation that you have all the answers and you shouldn’t be afraid or ashamed to seek out help if you feel you need more information
If you found this helpful, you should consider exploring the whole course here, as well as subscribing to our email list below and following our Instagram @normalco.
