Statistically, according to the National Eating
Disorders Association, 91% of young college women report having been on at least one diet. Seventy percent
of young college men report being unhappy with
their body image—with 32% of all college men stating
that they have been on one or more diets. Other studies
show similar percentages in older children and young
adults, which help to support the contention that
young people are very concerned with body image—
a body image where the ideal is to be very slim.
Body image is a person’s mental opinion or
description of his or her own physical appearance. It
also involves the reactions of others toward that person’s
physical body based on what is perceived by that
person. The concept of body image slowly develops over time, generally beginning in infancy. Perception
of body image among people can widely range from
very negative to very positive. Depending on age and
other factors, the degree of concern with body image
can also widely vary among an individual.
A person who has a poor body image perceives
their body as unattractive to others, while someone
with a good body image views their body as being
attractive to others. Body image is studied within the
area of psychoanalysis, which is a psychological
theory that involves mental functions of humans
both consciously and unconsciously.
Generally, within psychoanalytic study, body
image is not related to any objective measure (based
on facts) but is subjective (based on opinions and feelings)
in nature. Consequently, one’s opinion of their
own body image may or may not parallel how others
judge that person’s body image. For instance, people
judging a person may view that person as attractive,
however, that person may judge themselves as having
an unattractive body image. On the other hand, a
person may perceive their body image as attractive
but be judged unattractive by most people who come
in contact with the person.
Body image, especially with young people going
through puberty (a stage of physical and mental development
that begins sexual reproduction), can become
a problem especially when parents are overly concerned
with their children’s weights and appearances;
parents, especially mothers, are very self aware with
their own weights and appearance; other children use
excess pressure on their peers (fellow children) to look
or act a particular way; and mass media advertisements
and other such means that try to actively
imply a certain body look (such as, thin is an ideal
body image). Body image is also closely associated
with self-esteem, which is defined as the amount of
value and worthiness a person inwardly feels.
Older children and young adults are more concerned
about how other people view them than other
age groups, so are much more sensitive with body
image and vulnerable to external pressures. This can
affect their self-esteem as their body goes through dramatic
changes from adolescence to adulthood (puberty).
Boys may be overly concerned with height when
seeing girls of their same age growing upward faster.
Girls may feel sensitive about their height, weight, or
other noticeable changes happening within their body.
