● 1210L

Body Image

Date: 2022

From: Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection

Publisher: Gale, part of Cengage Group

Document Type: Topic overview

Length: 1,181 words
Content Level: (Level 4)
Lexile Measure: 1210L

Full Text:

The term body image describes the way a person views his or her physical appearance and
how that point of view affects his or her sense of self-worth. Body image includes both how
a person looks and how a person feels and acts in response to their perceived appearance.

A person's body image can change over time. This change can be affected by beauty
standards, family environment, peer influence, images in the media, personal experiences,
and medical conditions. Some psychologists are concerned about how social media use
affects the body image of users. Negative body image issues increased during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers linked the increases to isolation, anxiety, and increased
social media use.

Many people develop body image issues during their teenage years. Teenagers are
particularly aware of the image their bodies project. This occurs because of the
combination of rapid physical development and growing self-awareness.

Teenagers are likely to come to distorted conclusions about their bodies or take drastic
measures to fix perceived bodily defects. In addition to teens, such body image issues have
been reported in young children and adults of all ages.
 Fast Facts

● A 2021 survey by YouGov America found that 51 percent

of US adults ages sixteen and older felt pressure to obtain
a specific body type; 60 percent of women and 42 percent
of men reported feeling such pressure.
● The same 2021 survey found that 76 percent of
respondents, regardless of gender, believed society
placed a disproportionate amount of pressure on women;
69 percent identified the fashion industry as negatively
affecting how body image is understood.
● The American Psychiatric Association reports that body
dysmorphic disorder (BDD) occurs in slightly more than 2
percent of the US population and often begins in early
adolescence. Health care professionals contend the
disorder is common and often goes undiagnosed.
● The National Eating Disorders Association estimates that
about ten million boys and men struggle with eating
disorders during their lives.

Prevalence of Body Image Issues

Most Americans report pressure to have a specific body type, and more women than men
report such pressure. However, most Americans believe that society places more body
image pressure on women and blame the media for encouraging impossible physical ideals
for women.

Many children and adolescents report negative body issues. Reports indicate that children
as young as seven change their diet because of pressure to have a certain body type. The
focus on weight and body image puts many teens at risk for developing an eating disorder.
Eating disorders include anorexia (self-induced starvation), binge or compulsive eating
(consuming large quantities of food in a short period), and bulimia (binge eating followed
by purging). Poor body image has also been linked to depression, anxiety, suicidal
tendencies, substance abuse, and tobacco use.

Negative body image can lead to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). People with this mental
health condition are so concerned with their appearance that they have overwhelming
feelings of shame, guilt, and self-hatred. Some BDD sufferers become obsessed with a
single feature while others feel more general dissatisfaction with their bodies.

Body Image and Adolescence

The changes of puberty can negatively affect an adolescent's body image. Hands and feet
may grow faster than other parts of the body. This can leave teens feeling self-conscious
and awkward. Increased oil and sweat production can cause acne and odor problems.
Hormones that drive physical development also lead to changes in mood that affect how
teenagers view their bodies.

This issue is made worse by the fact that teenagers develop at different rates. Seeing
bodies that have developed differently or at a different rate than their own can lead to
feelings of isolation and doubt about whether they appear "normal" or attractive.

Common body image issues among teenage girls include unhappiness with weight. These
issues also include negative perceptions of certain body parts. These issues can be made
worse by pressures from peers and the media that urge teenage girls to express their
sexuality in obvious ways. These external pressures, combined with puberty's physical
changes, can contribute to girls' anxieties about body image and encourage feelings of
inadequacy.

Teenage boys are also affected by body image concerns. Some boys struggle with weight
issues. This is especially true if they are teased for being overweight. Weight issues can also
occur if they take part in sports that include weight limits such as wrestling or gymnastics.

Many boys try to sculpt their bodies to fit a muscular ideal. Some go to dangerous lengths
to achieve this look by taking anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass and improve
athletic performance. Steroid use comes with serious side effects. These side effects can
cause impotence, shrunken testicles, breast enlargement, halted bone growth, and damage
to the heart, kidneys, and liver. Steroid use can be particularly risky during adolescence
because of the intense physical changes of puberty.

The process of becoming comfortable with their bodies can be even more challenging for
transgender teenagers. Significant body image issues often lead to or stem from gender
dysphoria for many transgender people. This is a psychological disorder arising from the
conflict between one's gender identity and the gender assigned at birth.

Words to Know
binary
having only two sides
disproportionate
uneven
distorted
not accurate
 dominant
leading
mockery
being made fun of
suppress
hide

Effects of Traditional and Online Media

Young people learn about how society defines the ideal physique mostly from various
forms of print and digital media that bombard them with images. Critics have argued that
the lack of realistic bodies in media, particularly in advertising, negatively affects people's
body image.

People of color, people with disabilities, and people with certain body types have been
underrepresented in mainstream media. Those in these groups have historically been less
likely to be promoted as beautiful.

Professionally styled and often digitally altered images of unrealistically thin or muscular
bodies create expectations that cannot reasonably be met. Female characters are often
presented as impossibly thin and toned with large breasts. Male characters often exhibit
large muscle mass and a low percentage of body fat.

Psychologists have warned about the impact of social media on body image, particularly on
young girls. In 2021 journalists published information based on internal information from
Facebook showing that it had solicited research on the effect of its app Instagram on young
people's mental health but had suppressed the results. The research determined that
negative body image in young girls worsened in young girls with use of the app.

Social media has also been used to promote body positivity and celebrate diversity. The
size acceptance movement, also known as the fat acceptance movement, challenges
anti-fat bias. Men and women of the movement have found fellowship online through
social media and public forums. However, they have also encountered bullying, mockery,
and threats.

The dominant ideal body images for both men and women reflect values of American
culture such as youth, health, and wealth. Models and celebrities from white, European
ethnic backgrounds continue to dominate the media, but the physical appearances of
other ethnicities are increasingly recognized and celebrated. The traditional male-female
gender binary continues to dictate standards of femininity and masculinity in media.
However, gender identities that defy the binary are increasingly being recognized as valid
and beautiful.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2024 Gale, part of Cengage Group

Source Citation (MLA 9th Edition)

"Body Image." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2022. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/QFPRIH606030493/OVIC?u=j015915&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=23d
8510b. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
Gale Document Number: GALE|QFPRIH606030493