Body Shaming And How To Stop This

BODY IMAGE ISSUES


Body Image
  • A person’s perception of the aesthetics or attractiveness of their own body. 
  • Refers to how people see themselves. 
  • The way you think about yourself as a person.


Causes of Body Image Issues
  1.    Negative Thinking - an individual would feel self-conscious or ashamed, and assume others are much more attractive.
  2.    Family and Environment - the teasing and bullying can lead to a person's distortion of body confidence.
  3.    Cultural/Societal Expectations - the human society has at all times placed a great value on beauty of the human body, but a person's perception of their own body may not correspond to the society's standards,
  4.    Media and Social Media - advertisements and creative texts are displaying "unrealistic images of beauty" to the public.
  5.    Fashion Industry - models are often criticized for their "average look", the industry believed that people should be tall, fair, and extremely skinny.
  6.    Race - it was recently studied that Asian and white people are more attractive (for their slim figure) than black people (who seem to be curvy), while other races are discouraged.


Effects of Body Image Issues
  1.    Mental Illnesses - depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, insomnia, personality disorder, and others often lead to a person isolating himself/herself from society.
  2.    Discontentment - individuals would feel like they need to undergo through plastic surgery in order to change their appearance and be perfect.
  3.    Sickness and Death - eating disorders that includes physical and mental health become so severe that it leads to ending a person's life. 
  4.    Eating Disorders - are a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits.


Common Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa - the fear of gaining weight and has a strong desire to be thin, thus resulting to food restriction.



Bulimia Nervosa - is binge eating followed by purging; eating a large amount of food in a short amount of time; gets rid of the food right after eating by vomiting.



Binge Eating Disorder - the frequent binge eating episodes with psychological and social problems, but without the need of purging.



Night Eating Disorder - is not eating for the whole day, but then binge eats a large amount of food in the evening, with a total loss of control when it comes to food intake.




Ways to resolve Body Image Issues and Develop a Healthy Body Image
1.     Be realistic about the size you are likely to be based on your genetic and environmental history.
2.     Stay physically active regardless of your size.
3.     Expect normal weekly and monthly changes in weight and shape.
4.     Work towards self-acceptance and self-forgiveness; be gentle with yourself.
5.     Ask for support and encouragement from family and friends when life is stressful.
6.     Decide how you wish to spend your energy: pursuing the “perfect body” or enjoying family, friends, school, and most importantly, life.



“ Perception of our bodies as a reflection of self-worth. ”
“ An individual’s appearance does not reflect their character or self-worth. ”

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