Teenage Body Image

“Body image is not a static concept. It is developed through interactions with people and the social world changing across line spans in response to changing feedback from the environment” (Gale). Body image is a huge problem in society these days. It affects teens more than any other age group, but most of all women and sometimes men, but most of all it affects children in elementary. Body image has a huge impact on teens now and days. Due to teen plus size models, puberty, mostly social media, and sometimes dieting. “Erica Jean Schenk had become the latest poster child for plus size women with an exciting women’s running cover, she stated “one day she hopes it will be no big deal” (Business). Erica had gotten a lot of attention after she
became the newest, plus size model for teens. “I can’t wait for the day a plus size model can be on the cover, and no one freaks out.
No one is either for or against it. It’s just here, Schenk says. We can all cheer-lead for that”.-Erica Jean Schenk (Business). Body image also affects teens by their puberty. It is very important during a teens years. Teen’s bodies change from a child’s body to curves and muscles. During that time teens become very intense self-conscious. Due to the mixture of physical development and the increase of growing self-awareness, teens tend to their bodies as projects, and they try to do anything to repair or fix the parts of their bodies that they don’t like (Body). Teenagers’ boys are also affected by their body image problems, though they mostly strive to build their muscles mass and gain weight. Some boys have problems with weight loss problems, especially if they are picked on for being overweight or even if they are active in weight restrictive sports like, wrestling or gymnastics. Experts have even estimated that more than 1 million boys and men have issues with eating disorders and regular conditions (Gale). “This preoccupation with weight and body image puts many teens at risk for developing an eating disorder.” According to the Eating Disorder Association “Eating disorder Association” Eating disorders develop as outward signs of inner emotional or psychological
distress or problem”(Gale).”Over long periods of time, eating disorders can result in irregular or loss of menstruation, skin problems, irregular heartbeats, and kidney liver damage , loss of bone mass, hair loss, infertility, cardiac arrest and death”(Gale). In result, body image has a huge impact on teens, even without a social media effect, children face judgment based on their looks. Men’s body image also affects them. Although women want to lose weight, so do men these days. Even though they may do the same thing to lose weight like women, they strive more to gain muscles. Body image mostly affects women overall.
They tend to even hate their bodies, stress about their bodies, and more than often look through fashion magazines and want that “perfect body”. “Women are burdened by body hatred so much that even then women are made to feel they need to lose weight” (Anderson). “This emphasis on looks had led women to hate their bodies and spread countless dollars on unnecessary beauty products and weight-loss solutions assets Anderberg” (Anderberg). Body image has been an impacting problem on women, so they do anything, countless. To have them satisfied with their bodies, better than disliking them. “It is possible that women who are led to believe that men prefer women with bodies larger than models are depicted in the media may experience higher levels of self-esteem and lower levels of depression-Meltzer” (Women). Ladies stress about their bodies because they think men prefer bodies larger than models who yet are skinny and tall. Women tend to want a “perfect body” and do anything to get that body. These ideas come from models, looking through magazines, which make women insecure, wanting to lose weight (Women). Proven by research, women who watch TV often read more fashion magazines are never-less satisfied with their body weight (Women). “Regardless of their weight, women higher self-compassion have better body image and fewer concerns about weight, body shape or eating-Professor Kelly”
(Self). The terrifying part of body image issues, is that it also affects children in elementary schools. Children spend most of their time in schools which are highly social and competitive. The other children tend to judge other students, just based on their looks. For an example, Such as being overweight, or rarely even being underweight. Then teachers favorite those who are good looking.
Everyone deals with their own body image issue. It is mostly society who affects how we should look, instead of how we want ourselves to look.