B ODY I MAGE Armine Markosyan San Jose State University LIBR Summer 2012

W HAT IS BODY IMAGE ? According to Merriam Websters Online Dictionary: a subjective picture of one's own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others

B ODY I MAGE D EFINITION C ONT. weight, size and shape skin tone height religious diversity, especially if it is joined with particular appearance or clothing disabilities hair - style or color

B ODY IMAGE STATISTICS Girls are more likely to develop negative body image than boys. Average dieting age in 1970 was 14, in 1990 it dropped to 8 As young as 6 years old express concerns about their weight 45% of boys and girls in grades 3-6 are concerned about their weight 42% of girls in 1-3 grades want to be thinner Girls are more afraid of gaining weight, than getting cancer, nuclear war or losing their parents. 81% of 10-year-old girls are afraid of gaining weight 46% of 9-11 year olds are sometimes or very often on diets

Peer pressure verbal comments communication of beauty norms explicit verbal comparisons Media depict ultra-thin, digitally altered models and celebrities Family negative comments about themselves and/or children reinforce unhealthy habits I NFLUENCING FACTORS

NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE EFFECTS Low self esteem Eating disorders Unhealthy weight control behaviors Anxiety & Depression Social isolation Alcohol & Drugs Suicide

W ARNING S IGNS Looking at themselves in the mirror very often Avoiding mirrors altogether Keep weighing themselves excessively Denying hunger Criticizing their appearances Refusing to participate in physical activities Wearing oversized and baggy clothes

P ROMOTING POSITIVE BODY IMAGE Parents/educators can help to boost self-esteem and self-confidence. There is not one "ideal" body shape Focus on their abilities and skills Avoid constant talk of dieting Reinforce, and model healthy attitudes and behaviors Teach children to become critical of media images and messages Get professional help

R ESOURCES National Eating Disorder Association Council on Size & Weight Discrimination The Eating Disorder Foundation Kids Health Body Image Health Kids Terrain

R EFERENCES EDV - Body Image. (n.d.). EDV - Eating Disorders Vic. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from Kids' Body Image Project: Facts & Figures. (n.d.). Council on Size and Weight Discrimination. Retrieved June 21, 2012, from Littleton, H. L., & Ollendick, T. (2003). Negative body image and disordered eating behavior in children and adolescents: What places youth at risk and how can these problems be prevented?. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review, 6 (1), National Eating Disorder Association Orr, T. (2007). When the mirror lies: anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. Danbury, Conn.: Franklin Watts. Phares, V., Steinberg, A., & Thompson, J. (2004). Gender differences in peer and parental influences: Body image disturbance, self-worth, and psychological functioning in preadolescent children. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33 (5), Shapiro, S., Newcomb, M., & Loeb, T. (1997). Fear of fat, disregulated-restrained eating, and body-esteem: Prevalence and gender differences among eight- to ten- year-old children. Journal Of Clinical Child Psychology, 26 (4), doi: /s jccp2604_4