Transcript Stress and Body Image

Self-Esteem
and Body Image
in Adolescents
Defining Self-Esteem
Self-esteem
Individual’s sense of his/her worth; extent to
which a person values, approves of, or
appreciates himself/herself
Self-concept
more global sense of self-worth
Self-efficacy
One’s belief that one has the ability to complete
or accomplish a particular task
Body Image
Linked to self-esteem and selfconcept
Shaped by past experiences (positive
or negative)
Boys and girls
More complex than weight, height or
muscle mass
Not individual or optimal body size or
weight but how you feel about your
body and your life experiences
What Is Body Image?
Formed at an early age
Influenced by our parents, caregivers,
peers and life experiences
Relates to how you feel about your body
and what you think your body look like to
others
Perspectives may not be objective
Every body is different
•
Ideal body weight is the weight that allows
us to feel strong and energetic and lets us
lead a healthy life
How do I know if I suffer from
Body Image issues!
Do you
Weigh or measure yourself daily or more
Allow the number on the scale to determine how you feel
about yourself
Under eat when with others and over eat when by yourself
Restrict food intake all day and overeat on weekends
Have a closet full of clothes in different sizes
Believe that all of your life’s problems would be solved if
only you were thin
Feel guilty and ashamed when you eat anything other than
diet food
Find yourself constantly critical of your body or specific body
parts
Are waiting to be thinner before beginning any new activity
like exercising, dating, getting a part time job etc…
Body Projects
In the 20th century, American girls
have made their bodies “projects” as
a form of self-definition and selfexpression.
As the female body has become more
and more exposed in the media
(particularly in film) the demands on
beauty and dietary regimens have
increased.
A brief history:
1920s—the century of svelte/slimming;
college women began dieting,
flapper image in vogue
1930s—modern bra comes into existence;
prior to this it was a camisole,
store manufacturing of clothes rather than
homemade; girls are made to adapt
bodies to clothes rather than the other
way around
More…
1960s—dieting becomes a persistent
preoccupation, rather than episodic;
girls start dieting at 9 or 10 instead
of 15
1980s—smaller bikinis, and the “jeaning
of America”; all promoted leaner thighs
(NO thunder thighs);
hair is also a major focus
1990s—piercings!;
what used to be exotic
and more characteristic
of primitive people
becomes the latest form
of self expression
2000s—???
Tattoos?
Lasik vision correction?
Teeth whitening?
Cosmetic Surgery?
Research on Media Exposure
A 2005 study showed exposure to models
(ultra thin or average size) resulted in lower
body satisfaction and lower self-esteem in
girls aged 11-16.
A 2003 study of female undergraduates
showed that both magazine and TV
exposure to thin ideals were related to
body dissatisfaction. However the
processes were very different:
Magazine exposure was related to
internalization but not awareness of the thin
ideal standard
Television watching was negatively related to
awareness, but not at all to internalization
In a 2005 study of the relationship between
television viewing and body attitudes on 1,500
eighth through eleventh grade boys and girls,
the following was found:
girls considered themselves as more overweight than
boys
boys watched more TV than girls but watched sports,
entertainment, and information shows for enjoyment
while girls watched soap operas and music videos
and did so for social learning purposes
watching soap operas was related to drive for
thinness for boys and girls
watching music videos was not related to any body
image variable for girls, but was related to drive for
muscularity for boys
Canadian Statistics on Eating
Disorders
27% of Ontario girls 12 to 18 years
old are engaged in disordered food
and weight behaviour
Third most common chronic illness in
adolescent girls
Almost one in every two girls and
almost one in every five boys in
Grade 10 either was on a diet or
wanted to lose weight
How Big Is the Body Image
Problem?
Increases the risk for extreme
body/weight control behaviours
Increased preoccupation with
appearance and body dissatisfaction
•
Increased risk for engaging in dangerous
practices to control weight and size
Can lead to more harmful behaviours
•
Increased risk for developing disordered
eating or an eating disorder.
Positive and Negative Body
Image
People with positive
body image exhibit
•
•
•
•
Self-confidence,
energy, vitality and
positive self-appraisal
Feelings of
attractiveness and
beauty
Trust and respect for
their bodies
Freedom of expression
with their bodies, not
dependent on weight
People with negative
body image describe
•
•
•
•
•
Dissatisfaction with
their physical
appearance
Belief that their
appearance is being
scrutinized and
evaluated by others
Excessive emphasis on
physical appearance in
how they evaluate
themselves
Distressing
preoccupation with their
bodies
Feelings of shame
Positive Body Image
Realistic perception of the body
Understand that healthy, attractive
bodies come in many shapes and
sizes, and that physical appearance
says very little about character or
value
Assessment of the body is separate
from a sense of self-esteem
Negative body image
Body dysmorphic disorder
•
•
•
Over-preoccupation with an “imagined”
physical defect in appearance
Usually nose, skin, or hair
Anxiety and/or depression
Muscle dysmorphia (bigorexia)
•
•
Over-preoccupation with the perception or
feeling that one’s muscles are too small or
too weak
Spend unrealistic amounts of time working
out in the gym, and yet they don’t feel “good
enough”
What Are Some Factors That
Affect Body Image?
Standards set by society and the culture
that surrounds us
Comments from family, friends, and
others about our bodies, their bodies,
and other people’s bodies
Self-esteem (view our bodies and
evaluate ourselves)
History of abuse, teasing, life changes,
and physical changes that may be a
result of puberty, medical problems,
surgery or sports injuries
Images of idealized versus normal
bodies
Eating Disorders
Negative body image and body dissatisfaction
increase risk
Anorexia or bulimia nervosa
•
Perceive themselves as being larger than they
actually are
• Increase in dieting behaviour
–
depression, decreased self-confidence, increased
feelings of anxiety, feelings of unattractiveness and
persistent concern about weight
People with negative body image may
Engage in excessive body checking
Camouflage their size and shape with loose and
bulky clothing
Avoid social situations that trigger physical selfconsciousness
Avoid exposing their bodies
How Do Eating and Body Image
Go Together?
Eating disorders are internal conflicts
about food and/or body size and
shape
Healthy eating behaviours are
associated with feeling confident
about body shape and size
Disordered eating behaviours are
associated with a preoccupation with
appearance and an attempt to change
body size through a focus on diets
Eating disorders
Anorexia nervosa
•
Fear of weight gain and severe restriction of
food intake, which can result in significant
weight loss
Bulimia nervosa
•
Attempt to avoid weight gain or to manage
weight through frequent compensation by
purging
Binge eating disorder
•
pattern of binge eating (feeling out of
control while eating) without purging
May take a variety of forms (mild to
Boosting a Body Image?
What are three ways to boost body
image?
How can you change your body type?
If you know people who are always
comparing themselves to others in
terms of appearance, what could you
do or say to help?
How could participating in physical
activity contribute to positive body
image?
Exposure to Mass Media and
Weight Concerns
Girls between Grades 5 and 12
69% reported that magazine pictures
influence their idea of the perfect body
shape
47% reported wanting to lose weight
because of magazine pictures
Girls who were frequent readers of fashion
magazines were two to three times more
likely than infrequent readers
To diet to lose weight because of a magazine
article
To exercise to lose weight because of a
magazine article
To feel that magazines influence what they
believe is the ideal body shape
Dove Self-Esteem Fund
Think critically about the media and
about how much the media work to
influence people of all ages
The Power of Advertising
Advertising is the most influential
media in our culture
It reflects our daydreams, affects
what we eat, what we wear, how
we look and play.
Perfection
Women in Advertising
• Media portrays women in
debilitating, demeaning and
inaccurate ways
• It presents women as flawless,
decorative objects, and creates
unrealistic expectations for women
Women are Decorative/Sex Objects
Cultivating Images of Thinness
• In advertising, women receive
more messages about slimness
and staying in shape than men do
• thinness is associated with good
health and attractiveness
•In fact, images of thinness are a
major cause of the eating
disorders of bulimia and anorexia.
Thin is Beautiful
Thinness is Associated with Health
Magazine Models
•Don’t believe everything that you see and read!
Real or Not?
Real
Not
Factoids
32% of female TV network characters are
underweight; 3% overweight
5% of females in North America are
underweight; 25% overweight
• 90% of people with eating disorders are
women
According to Health magazine, Apr 2002
Factoid
• there are 3 BILLION women who don’t look like super models
and only 8 who do
•Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12 (that would make her a PLUS
size model today)
• If shop mannequins were real women, they’d be too thin to
menstruate
• models in magazines are airbrushed – they’re not perfect
• 20 years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average
women. Today, they weigh 23% less
Image Changes…
4 years of age
= “ My mommy can do anything!”
8 years of age
= “ My mom knows a lot. A whole lot!”
12 years of age
= “ My mom knows a lot, but not everything.”
14 years of age
= “ Naturally, mother doesn’t know that either.”
16 years of age
= “ Mother! She’s totally outdated…”
18 years of age
= “ Mom! Arggg! She doesn’t know today’s stuff!”
25 years of age
= “ Maybe mom knows more than I gave her credit for.”
35 years of age
= “ Before we make this big decision, let’s see
what mom thinks!”
45 years of age
= “ I wonder what mom would think!??!”
65 years of age
= “ I really wish I could talk it over with my mom!”
Funny how image changes over time! Don’t get so caught up with today!
How to improve body image…
1. Celebrate our natural sizes – enjoy the diversity of our
body shapes
2. Become informed and recognize and challenge myths
and misperceptions about body image
3. Challenge weight prejudice. Challenge the media.
4. Boycott the diet industry
5. Educate others around the issues of weight prejudice
and set point theory
6. Surround yourself with a range of realistic body images
7. Surround yourself with positive people who build you up,
not tear you down
8. Positive affirmations – learning to love yourself is a
process, it takes time to truly love the skin you are in 
Body Myths
Myth #1: Overeating Causes Overweight
Animal research suggests at least 51 causes of overweight,
including genetic, metabolic and other environmental factors.
Myth # 2: Dieting is Effective
Clinical studies show that up to 95% of dieters regain the
weight lost, usually within the first year. (yo-yo dieters…)
Myth #3: Dieting is Healthy
In addition to inadequate nutrition, dieting has been
implicated in the development of weakness, fatigue, binge
eating, bulimia, weight gain and obesity. (Don’t diet, make
lifestyle changes!!!)
Myth # 4: Everyone Can Be Slim
Many researchers are suggesting that the body has a "set
point" or biological control for the amount fat in the body;
weight is determined predominately by genetics and early
nutrition.