A Bit Softer Around the Edges: Body Image, Diets, and Getting OlderA Bit Softer Around the Edges: Body Image, Diets, and Getting Older
Shrink, the podcast for the mind
Philippe Tahon reflects on ageing, weight gain and body image, weighing up acceptance, health and social pressure in later life. He looks at exercise, diets, GLP‑1 medications and relationships to suggest a gentler, more sustainable way of living in a changing body.
21:27•29 Apr 2026
A Little Softer Around the Edges: Ageing, Body Image and Weight
Episode Overview
- Bodies naturally change with age, and expecting a 45- or 55-year-old body to look like it did at 25 can become punishing.
- “Accepting your body should not mean ignoring your health” and changing it should not mean punishing yourself.
- Social media often turns rare, highly curated physiques into a false standard, fuelling unfair comparison and pressure.
- Exercise, eating patterns and even GLP‑1 medications only really help when they fit a sustainable, realistic lifestyle.
- Women frequently face harsher and more persistent expectations about staying slim and youthful, tying weight to worth and visibility.
“Maybe the goal is something more flexible. Something like learning to live in your body with a bit more ease… Even if it's a little softer around the edges.”
What happens when your body quietly changes, but your identity still thinks it’s 25? Psychotherapist and coach Philippe Tahon takes a candid look at ageing, weight gain and body image in a way that feels both personal and very familiar. Speaking from his own experience at 62, he shares that moment of catching himself thinking, “Okay, I’ve got a bit of a belly now. What exactly am I supposed to do about that? Do I accept it?
Or do I try to change it?” From there, he opens up a bigger conversation about what really matters: health, comfort, confidence, social pressure and the fear of ageing. You’ll hear him unpack how social media creates unrealistic expectations, especially around those “incredibly toned, lean, almost ageless bodies” in their 50s and 60s. He points out how comparison, not your body, often creates pressure and shame.
Philippe talks through the classic options — more exercise, dieting, and newer GLP‑1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy — without glamorising any of them. He stresses sustainability over quick fixes and reminds you that “accepting your body should not mean ignoring your health.
And working on your body should not mean punishing it.” There’s also a thoughtful look at relationships: couples softening together, people who quietly give up on dating, and the very different pressures men and women face about staying “desirable” as they age. He notes how women, in particular, are expected to age without looking like they’re ageing at all.
Rather than offering a magic solution, Philippe suggests a gentler aim: learning to live in your body with more ease, even if it’s “a little softer around the edges”. If your relationship with your body is shifting as you get older, this conversation might help you ask kinder, more realistic questions about what you actually want. How would it feel to treat your changing body with curiosity rather than criticism?
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