BODY IMAGE

1. BODY IMAGE Ryan O’Mara Ramin Nadjafi Nicole Milana Elizabeth Basile Justine Elfrink

2. Objectives • Define Body Image • Determine why a positive body image is important to overall health • Determine associations of negative body image • Identify warning signs and symptoms of negative body image • Identify ways to improve body image

3. Defining Body Image

4. Marilyn Monroe Pamela Anderson Weight: 140 lbs. Waste size: 12 Bra size: 36 C Weight: 114 lbs. Waste size: 2 Bra size: 34 DD

5. Then Now Different Ideals, Same Problem

6. History of “Body Image” • Body Image, pre-1950 • Referred to war-related neuropathic conditions • distorted perceptions induced by brain (Berklow, 1997) • example: phantom limb

7. History of “Body Image” • Body Image, 1950s-Today • Definition underwent transformation in 1950s • Physiologists upgraded study of body image • Contemporary concept of “body image” (BI) is relatively new (Cash and Pruzinsky, 1990)

8. Challenging Limiting Perceptions • Limiting Perception: Female Only • Psychology/psychiatry dominate field of study • focus on eating disorders among young women • associate BI mostly with the weight and shape of females

9. Challenging Limiting Perceptions • Limiting Perception: Female Only • Males also subject to BI

10. Governor of California I am the Governator!

11. Challenging Limiting Perceptions • Limiting Perception: Male vs. Female Only • BI covers more than gender-specific paradigms

12. Challenging Limiting Perceptions • change in appearance due to condition or treatment can drastically effect person’s BI • cancer • skin disease • burn • accident

13. Definition of Body Image • BI includes: • perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors related toward one’s body for any reason (Cash, 2004)

14. Determining why a positive body image is important to overall health

15. Body image influences • Behavior • Self-esteem - a personal evaluation of one’s worth as a person. It measures how much you respect yourself and is directly related to body image (Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center, 1995) • Psyche

16. Self-esteem • Physically: how happy you are with how you look • Intellectually: how well you feel you can accomplish your goals • Emotionally: how much you feel loved • Morally: how you think of yourself as a person • High self esteem makes for a happier life!

17. Negative body image • Satisfaction and mood plummets • Sense of self becomes unhealthy • Lose confidence in abilities • Problems in areas, including sexuality, careers and relationships. • Loss of self confidence "To lose confidence in one's body is to lose confidence in one's self" -Simone de Beauvoir (Women and Body Image, 2000) • Loss of self respect • Low self-esteem

18. Body Image and emotional health • What is emotional health? (family doctor.org, 2000) • Control of thoughts, feelings and behavior • Can cope with stress and problems • Keep problems in perspective • Know when to seek help from doctor/counselor

19. Body image and emotional health • Poor body image leads to poor emotional health • Stressors: friends, boys, parents, media • Unable to keep problems in perspective • Body dimorphic disorder • Doesn’t see a doctor/counselor when sick • Eating disorders • Emotionally depressed

20. Body image andemotional health • Poor emotional health effects (family doctor.org, 2000) • Distress • Lowers immune system making a person more susceptible to disease • Anxiety can lead to other complications such as high blood pressure

21. Physical effect of a negative body image • Unhealthy dieting • Anorexia • Bulimia • Yo-yo dieting • Insufficient nutrients • Over exercising (Teen Health, 2000)

22. Determine associations of negative body image

23. The media • Socio-cultural messages: exposure to the thin ideal produces depression, shame, guilt, body dissatisfaction, and stress • Media promotes current mainstream culture’s standards for body shape or size and importance of beauty • Media message: if you try hard enough, spend enough, suffer enough, you can have the look you want

24. The media • Direct relationship between media exposure and eating disorder symptoms (Dittrich, 2005) • Study: 14-18 year old girls exposed to images and then valuate themselves • Women compare themselves to images of women even when they are not asked to do so

25. Television and Movies • Children spend more time watching TV than they do in school • American children spend 22-28 hrs. a week watching TV • At age 70, Americans will have spent 7-10 years of their life watching TV • Television and movies reinforce the importance of a thin body as a measure of woman’s worth (Gerber, 2005) • Over 75% of female characters on TV are underweight and only 20% are above average in size

26. Magazines and advertisements message of “thin is in” • In 48 issues of women’s magazines 63 diet food ads were found as compared to only 1 in 48 issues of men’s magazines • 70% of women feel more depression, self-loathing, and shame at their bodies after looking at fashion magazines (Nielson, 2004) • Over 75% of the covers of women’s magazines include at least one message about how to change a women’s bodily appearance by diet, exercise, or cosmetic surgery (Gerber, 2005)

27. Puberty • Most teens struggle with their self esteem beginning at the onset of puberty (Rutherford, 2001) • Unhealthy crash dieting and eating disorders often develop around this time in girls • Boys going through puberty may become obsessed with weight training and steroid use

28. Identifying warning signs and symptoms of negative body image

29. Sudden weight loss Skipping meals Eating in secret Stomach upset or bloating following meals Constipation or diarrhea Constantly viewing themselves in comparison to others Compulsively weighing themselves Depression and Anxiety Weakness or dizziness An intolerance to cold Frequent visits to the bathroom after meals Fixating upon and overemphasizing certain body parts Commenting frequently on other people's appearances and/or body shapes Warning Signs

30. Frequently viewing their appearances in mirrors Excessive or abnormal exercise routine or dieting excessively Disordered eating habits or refusing to eat all together Unrealistic beauty standards: The person is likely to be extremely critical of themselves and of their peers. Very low self-esteem Using diet or laxative pills In females, a loss of menstruation. Warning Sings Cont.

31. Identifying ways to improve body image

32. Understanding an individual’s body image • Body image is ever changing; sensitive to mood, environment, and physical experience. (psychotherapist, 1999) • It is a learned judgment; the learning occurs from the family and peers. (psychotherapist, 1999) • Genetics does play a role in your body and at least 25% to 70% of your body is determined by your genes. (Center for Change, 1995)

33. Developing a Healthy Body Image • Listen to your body. Eat when you are hungry. • Exercise regularly in an enjoyable way, regardless of size. • Expect normal weekly and monthly changes in weight and shape • Ask for support and encouragement from friends and family when life is stressful. • Decide how you wish to spend your energy pursuing the "perfect body image" or enjoying family, friends, school and, most importantly, life • (psychotherapist, 1999)