You, Your Body, Your Self Gail B. Slap, MD, MS Division of Adolescent Medicine Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

What is body image?

Body Image is…  …what you see when you look in the mirror.  …what you think others see when they look at you.  …how you feel about the way your body works.  …how comfortable you feel living in your body.

What is self image?

Self Image is…  …how you feel about the person that is you - your body, actions, plans, beliefs, potential…  …how you sum up all your parts - the good and not so good, what you do and don’t do, your strengths and weaknesses…  …more than body image. You can dislike some things about your body and still have a positive self image.

Which is Which? I am a good person. I like the way I look, but I do wish I were taller. My legs are too short. I always feel ugly because of my legs. I gained so much weight this summer. I hate the way I look, and I hate everything about me. (-) body image (+) body image (-) self image (+) self image

A Positive Body Image is… ...seeing your body as it really is, with all its strengths and limitations.  …understanding what you can safely change about your body and accepting what you can’t change. ...respecting and protecting yourself.

A Positive Self-Image is…  …liking who you are and who you can be.  …knowing you are unique because of all your parts together.  …holding yourself in high esteem.

Try This… Think about a person that you admire a great deal. What do you like the most about that person? What are the characteristics that come to mind when you think about that person?

Body- and Self-Image Traps  Ignorance  Teasing  Bullying  Cliques  Media  Super-heroes  Fitness frenzy  Family pressure  Depression  Eating disorders

Ignorance False Overweight people are in terrible shape and are heart attacks or strokes waiting to happen. TrueOverweight people are often fit and athletic. Their lives can be long, healthy, and happy.

Examples Teasing, Bullying, Cliques  A 2 nd grade girl refuses to have lunch at school because classmates tell her she is too fat to eat.  An “A” student is called a geek and threatened by older students who insist that he give them the answers to a take-home math test.  A 7 th grade girl is not invited to parties because she doesn’t have a boyfriend.

Media Trends … and what they do to real people… DecadeFemale Beauty 1910scurves and corsets 1920sno curves or corsets (flapper) 1950sfull-figure (Marilyn Monroe) 1960sno figure (Twiggy) 1980sstrong and athletic 1990swaif-like & fragile (Kate Moss)

What About Males?  45% of adult men in the U.S. are unhappy with their bodies.  20% of elite male college athletes believe they aren’t muscular enough.  Obsessive weight training has increased dramatically among adolescent males over the past 5 years.

GI Joe Figures

1998 Boy Super-Heroes GoldAhmed Iron Batman Wolverine Ranger Johnson Man GoldAhmed Iron Batman Wolverine Ranger Johnson Man

Fitness Frenzy  Obsessive exercise in pursuit of ever-better endurance, muscles, weight, appearance  Use of performance enhancing drugs  Adverse effects on physical and mental health

What are Eating Disorders? Eating disorders are disturbances in eating behavior that endanger physical and mental health. Examples include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Obesity is NOT an eating disorder since many people who are obese do not have disturbances in their eating behavior.

Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia nervosa is the refusal to maintain weight at a healthy level for one’s height, along with an intense fear of becoming fat.

Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia is uncontrolled episodes of over- eating, lasting 30 min to 2 hrs, followed by self-induced vomiting, laxatives, fasting, or excessive exercise. The episodes occur at least twice weekly for 12 weeks and may occur one to many times daily.

Are Eating Disorders Dangerous?  Yes. All eating disorders can be fatal. The most common reasons for death are suicide and irregular heart rhythm.  All eating disorders affect energy, emotions, self-image, judgment, and concentration.  All eating disorders affect social function, such as relationships with family and friends.

What Should You Do… …if you think a friend has an eating disorder, or is exercising too much, or has a low self-image, or is depressed…  Listen to your intuition.  Talk to your friend.  Tell an adult who can help.