SubscribeBody Image: Always a Concern
Two BBC radio stations recently surveyed 25,000 men and women, asking them how they felt about their bodies (average age was 17-34). The results were somewhat discouraging:
- Nearly 50 percent of the women said they had skipped a meal.
- 8 percent had thrown up.
- Over 50 percent said they would consider plastic surgery, with breast implants and liposuction as the most popular procedures.
The men were also concerned with body image. 20 percent had used protein supplements to “bulk up,” while a small number had used steroids.
25 percent of the men would consider plastic surgery, favoring nose jobs or liposuction.
Even young girls aged 12 to 16 were concerned about their bodies, with over half stating that their body image keeps them from getting a boyfriend or feeling comfortable in a relationship.
"This does signal a great dissatisfaction with the body... And they seem to think that if they were just a bit better physically, their lives would be better which is very harmful,” said Terry Apter, a psychologist at Cambridge University. (BBC News)
There are an estimated 1.1 million people in the UK with eating disorders. This survey shows there are many more who are dissatisfied with their bodies.
What will it take for us to stop viewing ourselves so harshly – and accept our bodies the way they are?
Really, our whole economic system is based on encouraging people to be dissaatisfied with themselves, their clothes, their cars, their homes, etc. A whole lot of change would be needed for that acceptance, Claire.
ReplyNext Magazine have done a survey and found that 3/4 of women would have some sort of cosmetic procedure done (the figures include teeth whitening) if they had the money.
In answer to your question... try looking not just at the media but at dating. Any time you look at an advertisement men seek women who are 10 years younger, slim etc. Lots of guys won't even consider dating a women who is larger than size 10 (not sure what that is in US maybe size 6) on online dating sites.
Research shows that most men and women are attracted to mates with specific physical characteristics (women want men with the classic military look strong jaw, larger shoulders, slimmer hips) while men choose women according to hip/waist ratio. Ye olde survival of the race - men seek a woman with child bearing hips and women seek a man who can protect them.
So that means the answer is part perception (people who judge those that are fat, have wrinkles, aren't wearing smart clothes or have good jobs) but also part instinct.
Accepting yourself as you are is so much harder when others don't but I think the Dove campaigns are a start in the right direction.
ReplyI agree... success is measured in externalities. Which is surprising when people who have highest life satisfaction usually talk about things like helping others, making a positive impact on people and their environment, enrichment from relationships, personal values and satisfaction with today without worrying about tomorrow.
ReplyI agree with you, Dr. J...we as a society are dissatisfied with everything in our lives. Not only our bodies, but our cars, our houses, our mates, our television sets, etc. There's always an upgrade that you "need" to buy. It's ridiculous. It's also very difficult to be happy with what you have when you are constantly bombarded with images of women with seemingly perfect bodies. Unlike cars and houses though, you can't really buy a better body (you can try), so using normal sized women in TV shows, ads, magazines, etc., would be a good start.
Reply"What will it take for us to stop viewing ourselves so harshly – and accept our bodies the way they are?"
Well, for starters, it would be nice if businesses stopped with the "you're fat, so we're going to punish you for it" attitude. A recent discussion here on D-B revolved around the airlines proposing to charge more for passengers over a certain weight. I also remember a recent study that said that "overweight" people used more gas, thereby causing Global Warming.
We have, unfortunately, created a society where anything *but* perfection is a liability. And while political correctness has (correctly) eliminated the stigma of being disabled or 'other than white', it is still ok to pick on those with a less-than-perfect body. Doesn't matter how physically strong you are, how capable you are, how smart you are, if you don't *look* like Paris Hilton (THERE'S a roll model, let me tell ya!!), you might as well just fade from existance, because you're taking up too much space on the planet. Tis is the mindset of most marketers, and we pick up on it, no matter how hard we try not to. It invades our psyche, and we believe it.
I, too, raise my glass to the folks at Dove. I think what they're doing is commendable. It's a small step on a long, long road, and I'm glad they've taken it. I hope other companies will follow.
ReplyI hope you mean normal, fit women. The FA crowd seems to think that fat women are what's normal and need more air-time. I think that would be a big mistake. BTW, you almost never see anorexic men in commericals. They're always super-fit, with 6-pack abs. You know they eat enough. There seems to be a societal double-standard.
ReplyOk, can't help but be saucy here: members of the "FA crowd" need love too. If that's someone's preference, then of course that's what they'd want to see.
But how to accept ourselves? By becoming conscious of the messages that bombard us and making a decision, everday if neccesary to affirm that, yes, we are good enough. It's hard, but can be done.
ReplyI'm not sure what you mean by "FA crowd", but I meant normal, fit women. You know, women who have muscles and not rib bones sticking out. Heck, even having fashion models that aren't so freaking tall would help. The average woman's only 5'4"-5'5" tall. I want to see some jeans modeled on those women's butts so I can know what those clothes will look like on me.
ReplyThere are overweight people on tv, what there is a shortage of is normal weight people. Not the "funny fat friend" and not the "hottie" who usually has a BMI of 16 or 17. People in the middle.
Replyyou got that right
ReplyI think a lot of people need to just stop focusing on weight and feeling the need to judge everyone's size. When I was a teen I had people like my dad tell me my cheeks are big, and that I'm getting fat. My brother told me my thighs are fat. I family friend telling me that my face had filled out, my hairdresser, telling me that my face looked different. Now all of these people were bigger than me, and although my weight has fluctuated about twenty pounds since being fully grown. I have never been overweight. All of the people making stupid comments about my body parts were overweight except my brother. Luckily these comments did not cause me to have an eating disorder, although I'm very self concious about my size and appearance because of it. I became an athlete and fitness fanatic, but now I experience flack from the other side. My female counter parts who left me alone, when people were telling me that this and that part was fat, now attack me with malicious comments, because I now have a lean athletic build. You just can't fricking win. I care about my appearance, but I actually hate when people look at me, because I hate the stupid judgemental comments you have to deal with and the tacky looks up and down my body. People need to do positive things for themselves, not focus on putting others down.
ReplyI've laid out practical ways to improve body image in a recent article. We know it's a problem, we get it shoved in our faces all the time, but nobody talks about how to get over bad body image...
ReplyFunny, instead I think I look thin in a big shirt and I wish I need more fat to make me look curvy. It's quite reverse because I want to look curvy!!!
Replyhmmm, this is my first time visiting this site...and I find it very interesting, and a lot of these things are true, especially this topic. I'm 17, 5"4 and weigh 97 pounds I would like to get down to 80 pounds. I have a fear of being over 100 pounds
Replywhy do you fear being over 100 pounds?
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