1. Factors that can influence
Body Image
Factors that can influence

2. You are learning about the impact on body image and healthy eating.
Body Image Quiz: Answer the following questions on your paper as the teacher reads you the questions.

3. What is body image? Body image includes:
How we perceive our bodies visually
How we feel about our physical appearance; how we think and talk to ourselves about our bodies
Our sense of how other people view our bodies

4. Why is body image so important?
Encouragement to focus on appearance is at an all-time high in this culture, and with it comes the potential for a significant increase in negative body image.
Increased preoccupation with appearance and body dissatisfaction put people at greater risk for engaging in dangerous practices to control weight and size.
Extreme dieting, exercise compulsion, laxative abuse, vomiting, smoking and use of anabolic steroids have all been associated with negative body image.

5. Which factors affect body image?
Body image, whether negative or positive, is shaped by a variety of factors:
Comments from family, friends and others about people’s bodies, both positive and negative
Ideas that we develop about physical appearance
The frequency with which we compare ourselves to others
Exposure to images of idealized versus normal bodies
The experience of physical activity
The experience of abuse, including sexual, physical, and emotional abuse

6. Positive Body Image we have a realistic perception of our bodies
we enjoy our bodies the way they are.
understanding that healthy, attractive bodies come in many shapes and sizes
physical appearance says very little about our character or value as a person
ensures that we don’t spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about food, weight and calories.

7. Negative Body Image a distorted perception of size or shape
global feelings of shame, awkwardness, and anxiety about the body.
feel that their size or shape is a sign of personal failure; very important indicator of worth
linked to:
diminished mental performance
low self-esteem
anxiety
depression
sexual dysfunction
dieting
eating disorders

8. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
particularly intense form of negative body image
obsessed with perceived flaws in their appearance that it affects relationships with family and friends
creates problems with work or school.
can result in anxiety, depression, and even thoughts about suicide.
is very treatable with a combination of medication and therapy.
People who get treatment become:
less preoccupied with their appearance
feel better emotionally
function better in their wider lives

9. Why are so many people unhappy with their bodies?
Current Physical Ideals
The Media
Size Prejudice
Family, Friends, and Lovers
Medical Standards and Medical Professionals

10. What can we do to boost body image?
Talk back to the media
De-emphasize numbers
Stay off of the scale
Realize that you cannot change your body type
Stop comparing yourself to others
Limit the “body checking” that you do throughout the day
Move and enjoy your body
Spend time with people who have a healthy relationship with food, activity, and their bodies
Practice thought -stopping when it comes to negative statements about yourself
Nurture your inner self
Question the degree to which your self -esteem depends on your appearance
Broaden your perspective about health and beauty
Recognize that size prejudice is a form of discrimination