“Given the overwhelming prevalence of thin and lean female images and strong and lean male images common to all westernized societies, body image concerns have become widespread among adolescents.”
Our current society definitely has some issues relating to body image and insecurity to do size. I wasn’t surprised by most of the statistics in this essay; it all seemed to be about what I would guess. 50-88% of adolescent girls feel negatively about their body shape or size. Almost half of teenage girls know someone with an eating disorder. At EIGHT YEARS OLD, girls believe that weight control is strongly associated with self-worth and view dieting as a means of improving self-worth. I knew a girl, 8 years old, that was going to be a flower girl in a wedding. A month or so before the wedding she decided, on her own, that she should diet so that she’d fit her dress. I’m sorry WHAT?! You’re 8, and hyper, you’ll run it off. There’s not a lot of weight fluctuation issues in 8 year-olds, you’re dress will be fine. More importantly, where did you even get that idea? I don’t think “diet” crossed my mind until my mid-teens.
I did not realize that the average American consumes 11.8 hours of media per day! That is crazy. The media, aside from the family concerns that Croll mentions, is the main cause for all of these self-worth issues. More than that, it is an issue that is almost impossible to avoid! “From childhood to adulthood, television, billboards, movies, music videos, video games, computer games, toys, the Internet, and magazines convey images of ideal attractiveness, beauty, shape, size, strength and weight.” There is so much now in magazines that is “touched up” by computers so that the subjects look “perfect”. Whatever happened to the general understanding that “everyone’s perfect”? Have we lost that entirely? Are we not teaching kids this anymore?
Croll says, “It is prudent to screen all adolescents for body image issues and work to foster a healthy body image among all youth...” Good luck screening everyone for body image issues. That’s a process that would be infinitely long. I do see some changes, if just a few, in media. More realistic sized women who don’t look starved. People that are able to embrace their shape rather than try and break it down into something it should never be. “The average female model is 5’10” and weighs 110 pounds.” I am 5’10” and far from 110 lbs. Though I think that I could shed a few pounds, I realize that 110 would be sick looking on my figure. Some people have legitimate struggles with weight, as some should. I’m not saying let’s embrace our weight no matter what it is because some people are unhealthy. I’m saying get back to where you are healthy for your bone structure. But until the media makes that change, we’ll continue to be mislead.
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