Body Image Illusion Article

Check out this article. It's from a blog called Underground Wellness (very cool if you want to look through it more). It articulates the problem of body image in America SO well. Favorite quote from the article:
"The moment we let go of expectations that fail to exist, a whole new world will open itself up to us."
Enjoy!

http://undergroundwellness.com/blog/uncategorized/test/

Help Boost Her Self-Esteem: It’s More Than Just Looks

Academic achievement, social skills, future life success, and general health and well-being are all tied to the complicated thing we call “self-esteem”. It’s more than just liking the way you look in the mirror one morning; it’s about how you value yourself every day, and this judgment will carry over into most other aspects of your life. Low self-esteem can be linked to eating disorders, poor grades in school, alcohol and drug use, early sexual activity, and other self-destructive behaviors. Self-esteem needs to be a high priority, and you CAN help!

~Listen to her- truly listen! Don’t simply entertain her wild ambitions and dreams, but embrace them. Your daughter’s aspirations may change on a weekly or even daily basis, but it’s your respect and support that she needs and that can stay the same week after week.
~Help her find her niche and get involved. A sports team, science or math club, 4-H, dance class, etc. There are lots of options. Studies show that teens who are involved in youth organizations and extracurricular activities not only have higher self-esteem, but also do better in school and are more likely to be involved in the community as an adult.
~Be consistent in the messages you’re sending your daughter. You can’t just talk the talk; you must also walk the walk. Proclaiming a hatred for the diet industry but a week later announcing you’re on the new fad diet until you lose ten pounds will do far more harm than you might imagine.
~Fathers, model a respectful attitude toward women. What jokes are you laughing at? How do you treat your spouse/significant other? Your daughter will notice.
~Compliment her! And not just on her cute outfit or how ‘nice’ she looks today. Those things are good, but also affirm who she IS. “I really appreciate how thoughtful you are.”, “I’m so proud of you for working so hard on that English paper.”, “Great game! That was a really good goal you scored in the second half!”
~Show up! Be there for sports events, parent-teacher conferences, recitals, etc. Your presence lets her know that you care, that you support what she’s involved in, and that you respect her enough to take the time out of your day to be a part of hers.
~Style it up…together! Your daughter’s likely interested in looks, fashion, make-up, etc. So instead of leaving her to learn from distorted magazine images, explore this together. Most department store make-up counters will do a complimentary consultation or even a full make-up application for under $10.
~Have fun! Get creative, and spend quality time together. Let her stretch her confidence and independence and choose the activity. Kayaking, a community dance class, painting pottery, shopping, going out to lunch…there are LOTS of options.

“We all want to feel like we matter to someone.” –unknown

Media + Body Image: What Messages Are We Selling Our Daughters?

The average girl in North America will see over 80,000 ads before she even begins Kindergarten. Thereafter, she’ll be bombarded with hundred of images of “beauty” every day. The influence this has on your adolescents is alarming. Here are some statistics:

~ “In a study on fifth graders, 10 year old girls and boys told researchers they were dissatisfied with their own bodies after watching a music video by Britney Spears or a clip from the TV show "Friends". -The National Institute on Media and the Family

~ The diet industry in the United States makes anywhere from 40-100 billion dollars per year (!) on temporary weight loss products.

~ 99% of girls ages 3-10 yrs. has at least one Barbie doll (an image of ideal shape and beauty?). –Mattel

~The average model today weighs 23% less than the average woman.

~Five to ten million adolescent girls and women struggle with eating disorders and various disordered eating patterns. –National Eating Disorder Association

The media is everywhere; it includes television, movies, magazines, advertisements, and even music. Images of women’s bodies, and often just parts of them (recall any ads you’ve seen lately with only the women’s legs visible?!), sell everything from cars and liquor to perfume and shoes. The media your daughter encounters on a daily basis will affect how she internalizes her own thoughts on beauty and self-worth. Adolescents are highly emotional creatures, and they are drawn to the allure of the sex appeal and happiness these ads sell. Our culture sends a constant message on women’s magazine covers that you’ll achieve health, happiness, and romance once you’ve simply lost those last ten pounds…or was it twenty? Here are some ways that you can help combat that message for your daughter.

--Consider monitoring what television shows and/or channels are being watched in your home.
--Perhaps swap your SHAPE magazine out for a copy of Whole Living or the Yoga Journal.
--Choose your own media sources according to what you would want your adolescent to see and hear.
--Praise the achievements of real women. This could be women in your own life or women in noteworthy roles and professions that you simply admire. Emphasize an appreciation for who they are and what they do, not just how they look.
-- Verbally appreciate the beauty of women who are more “average” sized. Don’t just think to yourself how great it is to see a normal looking woman in a beauty product commercial, affirm it out loud setting an example that you too see beauty in women who aren’t our typical American models.

“…every girl is beautiful, you know. It’s our arrogance that makes us think one is better than the other.” –Through Painted Deserts, by Donald Miller

Dove Evolution Video

Does your teen love watching YouTube videos? Watch this video, then watch it together with your daughter. Talk it over!

Some Conversation-Starting Questions:
~Were you surprised by how much they changed the model to create the billboard?
~Do you think other pictures you see in magazines and commercials have been changed this way?
~Do you think she’s pretty even at the beginning?
~Is the image at the end a realistic idea of beauty? Is it achievable?
~Why do you think they made her change?
~How does it make you feel watching this?

Reflections in the Mirror: Body Image + Adolescent Girls

Let’s face it, American culture is obsessed with image. How many images of “beauty” do you see in a day? In magazines, on web ads, on the side of a bus, during a television commercial, in a movie…we can’t avoid it. What we can do though is help our adolescent girls navigate their way through our world of rail thin models and billion dollar dieting industries.

Adolescence is a time that psychologist G. Stanley Hall called a time of “storm and stress”. It’s important as a parent of an adolescent girl to remember that she’s still growing and changing, experiencing great deals of new stresses and challenges. While she’s still a child, she’s encountering a very grown up world. We’re seeing girls starting diets as early as age 7 (!) and 47% of girls between 5th and 12th grade report wanting to lose weight. A study conducted by “Focus on Youth”, the Canadian Council on Social Development, reported that while 72% of girls said ‘they had confidence in themselves’ at grade six, this rate plummeted to 55% by grade ten. Most adolescent girls say they are dissatisfied with their bodies. Low self-esteem, a lack of social support, and pressure to lose weight all increase negative body image which can often lead to eating disorders. But research also shows that teens who observed healthy eating and exercising patterns in their parents were more likely to engage in healthy behaviors themselves. Health and confidence can be contagious!

Adolescents are influenced by many layers, if you will, of people, experiences, and social institutions. Urie Bronfenbrenner, a developmental psychologist, called this experience with the world the Ecological Theory of Development. Remember that your daughter is influenced by society and our cultural values, but also by her friends and most importantly, by you. As a parent, you may not think that your daughter cares much what you think, but trust me, she listening to and watching you. You can be a buffer to the harsh world she lives in. Take a long hard look in the mirror and consider what image it is that you’re reflecting to your daughter. You can show her what being and living healthy looks like. You can spend time with her, letting her know that she is valuable. Invest in your daughter as if she were the most valuable asset you’ve ever had, because she is.

Listen to Beautiful