Body Image Differences

Body dissatisfaction and unhealthy behaviors among children and teens appear to be on the rise in the U.S., while appearance ideals have become increasingly unrealistic

Body image is a major concern amongst the majority, primarily the youth of the female population, ranging from as young as five years old to tertiary students, ’74.4% of the normal-weight women stated that they thought about their weight or appearance ‘all the time’ or ‘frequently’’ (Brown University, unknown).

Overall body size and image concerns have been reported to be more prevalent among females than males. Gender related differences in acceptable body size are shaped from a variety of societal definitions of appealing shapes for males and females. Patterns of body dissatisfaction formed in childhood and adolescence persist into adulthood and are most prevalent in females. In their study, Fallon and Rozin (1985) reported that college women perceive their figure to be heavier than the figure they identified as the most attractive to themselves (Lavine, Sweeney, & Wagener, 1999).

My literature review paper includes several very recent studies that address the cognitive and behavioral components of body image and dieting in young children and adolescents. I discuss what is known and what is still not understood about body image in children around the world today. I give examples of holistic programs developed for school and community involvement in body image awareness. I attempt to show the complexities of the issues about body image and conclude with (what I feel might be) the most effective method (to date) for incorporating healthy body image awareness into the community and instilling realistic goals within each individual child.

This source is a scholar article that underlines the effect of body image concerns on young women and provides solutions to solve this growing, overlooked problem. The article provides models and images to further back up facts and draw new theories. While I found the article interesting to read, it did not provide enough information on my topic because the research was only conducted on women, rather than

“The pressure needs to go away, and girls’ self-esteem needs to go up; the vicious cycle needs to end.” (Moreau, “Is There Too Much Pressure”, The Comet) Body image is something that affects our everyday lives, especially for women. Television, advertisements, and photo shop all make women feel the need to look a certain way to be accepted by men and their peers.

The meta analysis conducted by Dina conveys the idea that the body types and images that are projected by the media encourage decreased body satisfaction in adolescents. It is however, important to note that body dissatisfaction does not always lead to eating disorders.

Furthermore, media surrounds teenage girls in today’s culture. It is impossible to escape the sight of media. The media’s constant idealistic beauty is ever present to a vast amount of self-conscious girls. This image of beauty causes girls to have low self-esteem (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar). Media defining this perfect body image causes many adolescent girls to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and become depressed. “Viewing ultra-thin or average-size models led to decreases in both body satisfaction and self-esteem in adolescent girls aged eleven to sixteen, with changes in self-esteem fully mediated by changes in body satisfaction” (Clay, Vignoles, and Dittmar).

As society is progressing, body image is ever changing. Now more than ever, we are witnessing different body types being displayed in popular media. Despite these advances, advertisements and other media platforms continue to push unrealistic and damaging body images on both men and women. Beginning in childhood, young girls and boys are influenced by the distortion and objectification of body image. Girls are taught that the most desirable body is one that is thin and proportioned (Helgeson, 2016). As they age, many girls begin distorting their own self-image when body changes occur during puberty. For example, many girls are upset by the onset of breasts and excess body fat in other places such as the butt, thighs, or stomach areas. This upset and discomfort during adolescence is influenced by the way that the female body is portrayed to the public. For boys, this can also occur. In movies and advertisements, the ideal male body is described

Because of society we have bullying happening, and it has caused people to have eating disorders, and get surgical replacements done to their bodies. People have become anorexic, bulimic, and have or done other things to lose weight because they weren’t “pretty or cute” enough for others to see or like them. “When they begin puberty... the body goes through many changes... These changes, combined with wanting to feel accepted by our friends, means it can be tempting to compare ourselves with others. We might start to compare ourselves with other people or media images ("ideals" that are frequently airbrushed). All of this can affect how we feel about ourselves and our bodies... Family members might struggle with their own body image or criticize their kids' looks ("why do you wear your hair so long?" or "how come you can't wear pants that fit you?"). Although these often come from ignorance, sometimes they can affect body image and self-esteem” (www.kidshealth.org). Many parents seem to think that they know their kids like the palm of their hands, however very few of them see that they’re child struggles with their body image. Body image has influenced all of us, whether it’s in a minor or dramatic way, by making us shower more or brush our hair more, or maybe even by making we go anorexic or getting plastic surgery. Everyone wants to be something close to perfect but everyone is looking out

Adolescence is a tumultuous period in one’s life. Bodies of adolescents are dramatically changing, and these physical changes are associated with changes in body image. Body image pertains to how individuals view and assign

From this altered perception of the human body, people, like this student, develop higher standards of their own body images and higher standards for other people, especially romantic partners. Overwhelming insecurities can then develop in both genders and lead to a multitude of problems, such as, eating disorders, social disorders, drug abuse, bullying, and surgical altercations of one’s body. (Nierengarten, 2005). This student has experienced these insecurities personally as she often had social anxiety for not looking or acting a way that is similar to how the media portrays females. She has also witnessed numerous friends who have had more severe body image problems such as eating disorders and

Body image dissatisfaction is increasingly being recognized as an important target for public health action (Paxton, 2000). Research evidence links body dissatisfaction to physical and mental health concerns, especially, but not exclusively, in women.

“More than 90 percent of girls- 15 to 17 years- want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance, with body weight ranking the first,” (Smith). These girls who are feeling dissatisfied with their bodies are experiencing a negative body image. Body image is the internal representation of a person’s outer appearance. To have a positive body image, is for people to have a clear perception of their bodies and the ability to see their bodies as they really are. A negative body image however, is to have a distorted perception of the body and when people perceive their bodies unlike they really are. Having a negative body image has many detrimental effects on individuals, such as, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, along with low

The amount of males that are unsatisfied with their bodies has tripled in the last twenty-five years. According to Helen Fawkner, doctor of philosophy, it has increased from fifteen percent of the male population to forty-five percent. It is an extremely severe problem that most people are not aware of. It can lead to suicidal thoughts, self-harm, and eating disorders, but the majority of people think that males do not have to worry about it as much as females. However, they have the same amount of pressure to have the perfect figure as females, it is just not delineated. Body image and eating disorders are not just female problems, men go through the same issues.