BODY IMAGE & BODY IMAGE DISSATISFACTION Lauren O’Neal

OBJECTIVES Participants will be able to describe body image and body image dissatisfaction. Participants will be able to list sources of body dissatisfaction. Participants will be able to describe the “thin ideal” phenomenon and the “fat talk” phenomenon. Participants will be able to identify ways to improve body image. Participants will express their thoughts and opinions about the sources of body image influences.

BODY IMAGE & BODY IMAGE DISSATISFACTION “The picture we have in our minds of the size, shape, and form of our bodies.” “The inconsistency between how a person perceives their body, and how they would like their ideal body to be.”

BODY DISSATISFACTION Particularly prevalent during adolescence Over 45% of early adolescent girls reporting body dissatisfaction Linked to a number of negative consequences Poor self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, etc.

“THIN IDEAL” Phenomenon where women typically believe that they are heavier than the ideal and heavier than what is most attractive to the opposite sex Internalization of the Thin Ideal leads to body dissatisfaction

SOURCES OF BODY IMAGE DISSATISFACTION Media Family Friends/Peers

INFLUENCE OF MEDIA Media-internalization is commonly referred to as thin-ideal internalization Refers to the extent to which individuals give in to social standards for physical appearance and aspire to attain these standards Media-internalization is hypothesized to lead to increase in body dissatisfaction because a stronger endorsement of the media ideal as the standard of beauty highlights the gap between the largely unattainable media ideal and one’s own physical appearance Increased feelings of body dissatisfaction might led to an increased desire to look like the media-ideal, longing for the “perfect” body, and willingness to engage in efforts to attain it

INFLUENCE OF FAMILY Explicit weight-related comments and implicit parental modeling may have adverse effects Negative communication regarding body image, including critical comments, teasing, and encouragement to diet, have been associated with the development of BID and eating disorders Infrequent or rare comments can also have a negative impact A family who has a general tendency toward focusing on appearance and attractiveness can, in turn, cause their daughters to become focused on and concerned about their weight

INFLUENCE OF PEERS/FRIENDS Peers may either inadvertently or purposefully promote the thin ideal and BID through teasing or modelling of weight concerns Women often compare themselves to their peers “Fat Talk”

“FAT-TALK” Social phenomenon in which girls and young women speak about their bodies with each other in a negative way More typical than positive body talk and the more fat-talk that someone hears, the more likely they are to participate in it Studies found that women who hear and engage in fat-talk experience higher levels of BID, guilt and shame If a woman if of a size generally considered to fit within the norms of healthy, but complain that she is fat to someone of a similar size, it sends the message that the second person should also be unhappy with her body

10 STEPS TO POSITIVE BODY IMAGE Appreciate all that your body can do Keep a top-ten list of things you like about yourself Remind yourself that “true beauty” is not simply skin deep Look at yourself as a whole person Surround yourself with positive people Overpower negative thoughts with positive ones Wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you feel good about your body Become a critical viewer of social and media messages Do something nice for yourself Do something to help others National Eating Disorders Association

REFERENCES CURTIS, C., & LOOMANS, C. (2014). Friends, family, and their influence on body image dissatisfaction. Women's Studies Journal, 28(2), Jackson, K. L., Janssen, I., Appelhans, B. M., Kazlauskaite, R., Karavolos, K., Dugan, S. A., &... Kravitz, H. M. (2014). Body image satisfaction and depression in midlife women: the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Archives Of Women's Mental Health, 17(3), Rodgers, R. F., McLean, S. A., & Paxton, S. J. (2015). Longitudinal relationships among internalization of the media ideal, peer social comparison, and body dissatisfaction: Implications for the tripartite influence model. Developmental Psychology, 51(5).