Transcript 8th Grade Health: Body Image Mr. Callahan What is Body Image? • Body Image is how you see yourself. • Students in middle school,

8th Grade Health:
Body Image
Mr. Callahan
2015
What is Body Image?
• Body Image is how you see yourself.
• Students in middle school, in the midst of
puberty, begin to establish an individual identity
outside the family unit.
• The increasing attention of peers amplify physical
differences that become evident as bodies
change and develop.
• Physical appearance becomes a major factor in
peer & opposite sex relations.
Physical Development
+
Body Image
=
Development of identity
Risk Factors: Things that can affect
your body image
• Gender
• Low self-esteem
• Timing of maturation
• Disordered eating
Protective Factors: Things that can
affect your body image positively
• Healthy self-esteem
• Positive feelings about physical changes in
puberty
• Accurate information about puberty- not
everyone develops at the same rate
• Healthy eating & exercise
• Body dissatisfaction is the single
strongest predictor of
adolescents developing eating
disorders
The 3 big things that affect your body
image
•The Media
•Peers
•Family
The Media
• The AVERAGE American female is 5’4’’ tall and
weighs 140 lbs.
• The AVERAGE American model is 5’11’’ and
weighs 117 lbs.
• The men and women on magazine covers
represent about 0.03% of the population
Peers
• Being an adolescent is tough …
• Teased by peers in school/outside of school
for being too fat, too weak, too soft, etc…
• If you don’t play sports you’re a wimp or a
geek.
• The Feeling that you have to measure up to
everyone else
Family
• Many things parents do can trigger concerns
about weight or appearance for their children
• Having parents who are overly concerned
about their own weight or appearance could
play a role
• Having parents who are obsessive about
exercise
• Having parents who focus on “outer” qualities
rather than “inner” qualities
Statistics:
• Girls are generally more influenced by body
image, with 28% to 55% wanting thinner
bodies compared to 17% to 30% of boys
• At age 10-11 years, 80% of girls are convinced
they should be thinner
Statistics (cont.)
• Over 33% of adolescent girls report
aggressive weight control measures such as
chronic dieting, excessive exercise, selfinduced vomiting, and abuse of laxative, diet
aids, and water pills
• 17.8% of 11-14 year old girls have gone on
diets in the past 6 months
• The #1 wish of girls age 11-17 is to be thinner
• The diet industry is a 40 Billion dollar per year
business in the the United States.
• Cosmetic Surgery is the fastest growing
medical specialty in the United States.
• About 1 million American males have tried
steroids at least once to improve their
physique. Up to 6% have taken them by the
age of 18.
Where Does a Negative Body Image
Take Us?
• Dying to fit in…Dying to be thin
• Body Obsession can lead to extreme dieting
and exercise.
• Over the course of one person’s lifetime(75
years) at least 50,000 individuals will die as a
result of an eating disorder.
How to make peace with your body
and your body image
• Understand how your bodies change during
puberty
• Listen to what your friends say and discourage
“put-downs” about their or others’
appearance
• Reassure your friends/peers that you accept
them “as is”
Continued…
• Encourage physical activities such as biking,
walking, hiking, or roller-blading that enable
you to experience the physical strength of
your body & the positive feeling of movement,
regardless of body shape or size
• We can’t exchange our bodies for new ones.
So the best thing is to find peace with the one
you have. Your body is where you’re going to
be living for the rest of your life!