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BODY IMAGE
What is BODY IMAGE ? Why does it matter?
The idea of Body Image includes not
merely what we see in the mirror
but also different dimensions of
perception,
affect,
behavior.
It
cognition
is
a
and
complex
multidimensional construct.
Our mental representation of body
shape, size and form is influenced
by a variety of historical, cultural,
social,
individual
and
biological
factors, which operate over varying
time spans”1
Four important aspects come into play:
1) Affective: feelings we have towards our own body appearance. How you
feel about your body? Including your height, shape, and weight.
2) Cognitive: thoughts and beliefs concerning body shape and size. What
you believe about your own appearance (including your memories,
assumptions, and generalizations).
3) Perceptual: accuracy of individual’s judgment of their shape and weigh
relative to their actual proportions.
4) Behavioral: how do we manifest our feelings, thoughts and perceptions?
2
. How you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture
yourself in your mind.
Although body image is a complex construct that encompasses different
aspects of the body experience, in our contemporary Western society the
major focus has been on the body’s appearance, in particular on body
shape and weight. This is not surprising when current societal standards
1
for female beauty inordinately emphasizes the desirability of thinness, an
ideal accepted by most women but impossible for most to achieve.
3
People are held responsible for their body shape and weight in a way
that they are not held responsible for their height, eye color, or size of
their feet. Given the increasingly large discrepancy between current
beauty ideals as portrayed in the media and the body size and shape of real
women and men4, it is not surprising that many people experience their
bodies in a negative manner.
Normative Discontent
We are consistently dissatisfied with how we look, even to the point
that is can be considered a “normative discontent”5Women have a greater
body dissatisfaction (measured as the discrepancy between current and
ideal ratings) than men, and it remains remarkably stable across much of
the adult life span.6
RELEVANT STATS!!! Let’s bear in mind:
! The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 165 pounds. The
average Miss America winner is 5’7” and weighs 121 pounds7
! The average BMI of Miss America winners has decreased from around 22
in the 1920s to 16.9 in the 2000s. The World Health Organization
classifies a normal BMI as falling between 18.5 and 24.9.8
! In the United States, 20 million women suffer from a clinically
significant eating disorder at some point in their life, including anorexia
nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or an eating disorder not
otherwise specified (EDNOS).9
!
The average American woman is 5'4'' and 140 pounds. The average fashion
model is 5'11'' and 115 pounds
!
Fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women10
!
About 70% of adolescent girls and young adult women would prefer to
be thinner and are dissatisfied with their bodies11
2
!
Although body image improves for women in late middle age, there
continue to be about 60% who are dissatisfied with their body size and
shape; these women continue to be at risk for eating disorders.12
!
91% of women in a recent survey on a college campus said they have
attempted to control their weight through dieting
!
45% of women are on a diet at any given time
!
13.8 million Cosmetic procedures in 201113. This represents a 5%
increase from 2010
Does it matter??
YES!!
Researchers have consistently linked body dissatisfaction with
! Low self-esteem, shame and feelings of self-consciousness and anxiety
! Social anxiety and impairment.
! Sexual intimacy impairment
! Depression 14
! Eating Disorders.
! Increase surgical cosmetic procedures to enhance body image
This is serious!
!
By age 6, girls especially start to express concerns about their own
weight or shape. 40-60% of elementary school girls (ages 6-12) are
concerned about their weight or about becoming too fat
15
!
About 70% of adolescent girls would prefer to be thinner.16
!
Young adult women (18-30) years old seem to have a comparable level of
body dissatisfaction to adolescents, about 70% .17
!
Although body image improves for women in late middle age, there
continue to be about 60% who are dissatisfied with their body size and
shape; these women continue to be at risk for eating disorders.18
THE EVOLVING FEMALE BODY. STAGES
So let’s think about the specific challenges we have at each stage in our
lives
3
i. Childhood and Puberty
We know very little about the development of Body Image, particularly
during the preschool and early elementary school years. Nevertheless,
we have reasons to believe that the basis of Body Image is developed
throughout childhood. It is not yet clear at what point body image becomes
reasonably stable, but certain statistics are noteworthy:
Dieting and weight control strategies are considered to reflect how
strongly an individual is dissatisfied with her or his own body size and
shape. They are also associated with the onset of Eating disorders:
! Preschoolers (between ages 3 and 5), influenced by what they see on
children’s television shows and their parents own beliefs about ideal
child body types, prefer not to be heavier. Yet preschool age children are
not typically worried about their own weight or shape; they are more
concerned about their clothing, hair or jewelry19
!
42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner
20
!
In elementary school fewer than 25% of girls diet regularly. Yet those
who do know what dieting involves and can talk about calorie restriction
and food choices for weight loss fairly effectively 21
!
81% of 10 year olds are afraid of being fat.22
!
46% of 9-11 year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets, and 82%
of their families are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets23
!
Even among clearly non-overweight girls, over 1/3 report dieting24
!
Girls who diet frequently are 12 times as likely to binge as girls who
don’t diet
!
25
Elementary school American girls who regularly read magazines, 69%
report that the pictures influence their concept of the ideal body shape.
47% say the pictures make them want to lose weight
26
Some risk factors that have been found to influence Body Image
negatively are: media influences and parental comments and sexual
4
harassment is related to poorer body esteem, at least among girls, in
elementary school.27
First graders are capable of social comparison, and as they age they
engage in this process in increasing frequency. Social comparison appears
to be an influential factor in body image, body esteem and self-esteem.
Every biological milestone for women has the potential to increase fat
deposition through the operation of sex hormones and thus might move
women away from the thin and youthful ideal. As a girl moves towards
adulthood she gradually attains the secondary sexual characteristics. As
women seem to be most targeted for objectification during their years of
reproductive potential, this means that puberty and adolescence are
crucial times for the attainment of a healthy body image.
For several reasons puberty must be considered as a vital stage for the
development of Body Image:
1) There are dramatic body changes associated with puberty, including a
substantial weight gain.
2) Body dissatisfaction and eating disorders become more common starting
in early adolescence, coincident with puberty. Girls' body satisfaction
dropped as they entered puberty such that early maturers experienced the
decline before on-time or late maturers.
3) Puberty is associated with more adult-like behaviors such as dating and
pressures related to an intensification of gender role expectations.
Traditional
gender
roles
associate
femininity
with
investment
in
appearance and thinness and masculinity with strengthen and muscularity,
characteristics that may increase the risk of body dissatisfaction.
4) Early puberty has been associated with a wide range of psychological
and behavioral problems. 28
ii. Adolescence and Young age
Body image concerns are a normative and prominent feature of
adolescent development. Integrating body image into one's identity and
self-evaluation is a normative yet challenging developmental task that
must be undertaken during adolescence. Body image becomes a risk factor
5
for several types of adjustment problems and disorders with adolescent
onset (depression, drive for thinness, eating disorders, body dysmorphia,
low self-esteem, and health-compromising behaviors).29
Adolescents are constantly targeted and showered with multiple
images that contain powerful and influential messages. These messages
are deeply rooted in cultural beliefs and media representations about
what constitutes an ideal body, how important it is to achieve that body,
and what means are acceptable to obtain the ideal body. The body ideal is
conveyed to adolescents and reinforced by the parents, friends, peers, and
(potential) romantic partners. When the external pressures and ideal
expectations for appearance are internalized and when psychological
energy is expended in appearance comparisons and surveillance, then
adolescents are more likely to experience body image dissatisfaction30
" 35-57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, selfinduced vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives. Overweight girls are more likely
than normal weight girls to engage in such extreme dieting31
" Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys
use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting,
smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives.32
iii. Adulthood
There is good reason to expect body image to become poorer as we age,
as every year is likely to take people further away from the thin (or
muscular) and youthful body ideal. People typically put on weight
through the life span, about 10 lb (4.6 kg) per decade of life until their
50’s, which is actually associated with lower mortality33. They also change
shape, lose skin elasticity and develop wrinkles, and their hair goes grey
or thins.
34
These normal age-related changes are likely to be particularly
problematic for women. Women in our society gain status and value
through appearance, whereas men may gain status from a broader range of
qualities, such as intelligence, wealth, or power35. The greater importance
of beauty in women’s lives renders them more concerned than men about
the effects of aging on their appearance.
6
The “double standard of aging” implies that older women are judged much
more harshly than older men.36
Women’s desire to be thinner does not differ between age nor does
concern about eating and weight, preoccupation with being, body esteem,
satisfaction with appearance , or satisfaction with body parts.
Women may shift their body comparisons to age-appropriate peers as they
age, rather than to the thin and youthful ideals portrayed in the media.
They may also have more realistic expectations about what is possible for
them.
37
iv. Post menopause
The psychological and physiological changes associated with aging and
menopause could be considered to parallel the changes associated with
puberty and menarche. Therefore they are likely to produce eating and
weight-related concerns.
Weight typically becomes redistributed during menopause (usually
around age of 50 years), resulting in a more rounded shape with larger
breasts and waist and increased fat on the upper back. The very fact of
menopause, whether it is greeted with sadness, anger, or relief, virtually
requires an alteration in the way women think about their bodies.38
Studies find menopausal women to be less positive about their
appearance and fitness. Menopause is culturally equaled to aging.
Exercise, as in all stages in life seems to be a protective factor against
negative body image: among women who did not exercise, age was associated
with greater body dissatisfaction, whereas for those who exercised,
increasing age was associated with greater body satisfaction. Exercise
entails benefits to both the physical and emotional wellbeing of women.
v. Old Age
The importance of body appearance seems to decrease with increasing
age. In simple terms, with age women’s bodies deteriorate, they remain
equally dissatisfied, but it matters less to them. These two processes
(increasing deviation from the beauty ideal, and decreasing importance)
counterbalance
one
another
to
produce
a
stable
level
of
body
dissatisfaction.
7
At a certain age standards for body evaluation may change.
The judgment of body image becomes centered in five specific body
parts: eyes, hands, fingers, and legs, in addition to their body weight. This
suggests a shift to focusing on functional aspects of their bodies. There
seems to be a clear distinction between body function and body appearance
for older adults and that they may value the former more than the
latter.39
Older people are more likely to endure medical problems or chronic
illness, restrictions in social and personal activities, and changes in
status and relationships with family and friends, in addition to
physiological changes in joint mobility, weight, posture, skin, and hair
quality. Changes in functional domains may also require various devices
which will impact on appearance, e.g. glasses, hearing aids, walking
canes.40
As women age, they place less emphasis on the importance of the body’s
appearance. Physical appearance is no longer such a central part of who
they are. This allows a greater acceptance of the otherwise socially
undesirable and largely uncontrollable age-related body changes which,
in turn, means that older women are somewhat able to protect their selfconcept and self-esteem from their increasing deviation from the thin and
youthful ideal.
appearance
In contrast, the importance of body shape, weight and
decreased
as
women
aged,
underscoring
an
important
distinction between evaluation and importance of the body
As women grow older and inevitably move further from the youthful
and thin ideal, they adopt cognitive strategies such as lowering their
expectations or reappraisal, which increase their acceptance of their
aging bodies and more importantly, serve to maintain their self-concept
and self-esteem
MOTHERHOOD
Throughout every stage in life if a woman becomes a mother this will
radically change her relationship with her body
Pregnancy
In pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes rapid physical changes in many
ways, but most notably in weight and shape. Women typically put on 25–35
8
lb across the pregnancy with marked changes in body shape, skin, and hair
quality.41 Of course this varied greatly from woman to woman: pre
pregnancy body weight, lifestyle and genetics greatly influence the way
her body will react to the pregnancy.
Women show considerable variation in response to their changing
bodies: the weight and shape changes of pregnancy can be distressing for
some women but neutral or even liberating for others.
Even though
pregnancy seems to be the only time in a woman’s life were the social
pressure to be thin, lessens it is still considered as “transgressing the
idealized female body”42
Women tend to show that they are generally positive to body changes
during pregnancy and are more accepting of their body size and make fewer
attempts to control their weight than their non-pregnant peers. The
acceptance of these body changes may be because these are viewed as
“transient”, with the strong societal pressures on women to be slim
relaxed to some degree in pregnancy. Overweight women, in particular,
report feelings of liberation from restrictions placed on their lives and
feel able when pregnant to participate in activities (e.g. swimming) that
they would not otherwise .
Post partum period
There is also variation in the post-partum period, but here body image is
generally more negative. Women typically retain weight after delivery,
although here again there is considerable variability. Many women are
dissatisfied with their weight and shape after having a baby and there is
vulnerability to eating disorder pathologies.
43
Women (especially primiparous women) often refer disappointment when
faced with the reality of their bodies: the expectations of a rapid and easy
return to their pre pregnancy body that fail to become true often become
a source of distress and discomfort.
Being a Mom
Our relationship with our body does not end with childbirth, so
neither should our interest in how we view it! Lack of leisure and time for
herself, have been found to be major stressors for mothers and this
9
directly influence their Body Image. Gaining a space of our own, time-out
from assigned tasks and roles, and feeling as though one was doing
something to improve one’s body44 may become protective factors. Sleep,
exercise routines, healthy diet, self-care and self soothe activities and
social interactions and intimate relationships are factors that must be
taken into account when attempting to maintain a healthy body esteem.
Let’s pay attention!! Objectification Theory, Gender and Body
Dissatisfaction
According to Objectification Theory, sociocultural norms relevant to
physical appearance influence the way we view our own bodies and the
impact that such evaluations will have on our sense of self-worth, our
self-esteem and even our social functioning.
We live in a Western world, and we can’t pretend that the constant
badgering of these norms won’t get to us. We are constantly surrounded
by messages conveying the current social standards of beauty: in the mass
media, expressed by friends, family, work colleagues, and even strangers
we encountered in our everyday life. Nevertheless, awareness is our
strongest defense!
Keep in mind:
" These messages are more pervasive and emphasize more strongly the
importance of appearance for women than for men.
" The emphasis on female appearance seems to be most pronounced during
the period of reproductive potential (aged 15 to 40 years). These are
vulnerable years, which means we have to make a greater effort to protect
and support young women.
STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE A HEALTHY BODY IMAGE
We all may have our days when we feel awkward or uncomfortable in
our bodies, but the key to developing positive body image is to recognize
and respect our natural shape and learn to overpower those negative
thoughts and feelings with positive, affirming, and accepting ones.
10
1) Body appreciation: daily positive reminders of our bodies positive
attributes and functionality are proven to promote overall positive body
image. So remind yourself how wonderful your body is!
2) Relate to your body in a non-aesthetic way
3) Exercise!! Maintaining a constant, age appropriate exercise routine is a
protective factor at every stage in our lives
4) Knowledge in empowering: challenge yourselves and those around you
to become involved in the active process of analyzing, identifying and
transforming your environment. Don’t let yourselves be passive receivers
of negative messages. Become a critical viewer of social and media
messages. Pay attention to images, slogans, or attitudes and decide for
yourself.
45
5) Advocate for a healthier construct of beauty and educate the younger
generations 46
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