general

In our society, women get the message that a "perfect" body can yield happiness, success and even love. The results can be devastating. Poor self-esteem, eating disorders, self-mutilation and even suicide are some of the consequences of a poor body image. While experts agree that media play a large part in the development of body image, self-image begins forming long before children see their first television program or magazine layout. The problem is part of a larger problem that needs a framework with which people can begin discussing this complex and painful issue. The following are some disturbing facts about body image:

-- When a parent encourages a daughter to lose weight, it increases the daughters dieting efforts and desire to be thinner (Thelen & Cormier, 1995).

-- A study of 36,000 students in Minnesota found that negative body image is associated with a higher suicide risk for girls (AAUW, 1990).

-- Eating disorders are not just a problem among the wealthy and the White. Studies have shown that eating disorders also occur amongst women in lower SES groups (Story, French, Resnick & Blum, 1995).

-- Eighty-nine percent of women surveyed want to lose weight (Garner, 1997).

-- African-American women are as likely to be at risk for eating disorders as their White counterparts (Pumariega, Gustavson, Gustavson, Stone Motes & Ayers, 1994).

-- In a study of 9 and 10 year old girls, 40% of girls wanted to lose weight, regardless of their ethnicity (Schreiber, Robins, Striegel-Moore, Obarzanek, Morrison & Wright, 1996).

-- Women who are attracted to thin media personalities have a higher drive for thinness, anorexia, bulimia, and perfectionism (Harrison, 1997).

References:
American Association of University Women. (1990). Shortchanging girls, shortchanging America: Full data report. Washington, DC: American Association of University Women.

Garner, D..M. (1997, January/February). The 1997 body image survey results. Psychology Today, 31- 44, 75-84.

Harrison, K (1994). Does interpersonal attraction to thin media personalities promote eating disorders? Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 41(4). 478-500.

Pumariega, A., Gustavson, C. R., Gustavson, J. C., Stone Motes, P., & Ayers, S. (1994). Eating attitudes in African-American women: The Essence eating disorders survey. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 2(1), 5-16.

Shreiber, G. B., Robins, M., Striegel-Moore, R., Obarzanek, E., Morrison, J. A., & Wright, D. J. (1996). Weight modification efforts reported by Black and White preadolescent girls: National heart, lung, and blood institute growth and health study. Pediatrics, 98, 63-70.

Story, M., French, S. A., Resnick, M. D., & Blum, R. W. (1995). Ethnic/racial and socioeconomic differences in dieting behaviors and body image perceptions in adolescents. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18(2), 173-179.

Thelen, M. H., & Cormier, J. F. (1995). Desire to be thinner and weight control among children and their parents. Behavior Therapy, 26, 85-99.

 

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