Body Image Development is a Risky Business for Girls

by Maria's Last Diet

There are several factors affecting body image development in childhood. Three important ones are parents, peers, and the media.

Parents
Parents probably have the biggest impact on how a child feels about her body. If parents comment negatively about their child’s weight, perhaps even encouraging her to exercise to lose the weight, this can contribute to body esteem problems. Another way parents may affect their child’s body image is by voicing their own weight concerns. A parent who is dieting or exercising extensively in order to lose weight can transfer a “not good enough” feeling to her children. A child might then focus on her own body shape and become dissatisfied with it.

Current data about the development of body image in childhood suggests that girls are more focused on having the right kind of body than boys. In order to counter the trend toward concentration on appearance for girls, you can do the following:

1. Encourage your daughter to explore her own physical strengths in order to promote feelings of body competency. For example, encourage different types of body movement such as soccer, yoga, swimming, dance, etc.
2. Make sure you are supportive about appearance and don’t allow any teasing about it in your household.
3. Help your daughter understand what bodily changes to expect during puberty.
4. Appreciate your daughter’s mind, her skills, her ambitions, her ability to communicate ideas, her social skills.

Peers
As early as elementary school, peers have an influence on a child’s development. It is clear that even for the very young child, weight can become a disturbing issue. Peer influences may teach a child about negative stereotypes associated with being fat or even a little chubby. It is thought that sensitivity to these negative stereotypes is greater in girls than in boys.

Media
Children see “the ideal body imagel” all around them. Very skinny girls and women are evident in magazines, TV shows, movies, and the world of pop music. A girl’s belief about herself and how she measures up to “the body ideal” has bearing on her developing body image.

It is a challenge―a very important one―to help your child with a body image problem. It is best to confront this issue sooner rather than later.

Comments

[Center For Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt]

Great post! A lot of mothers don't realize that their smallest actions can have an enormous impact on their daughters and their self esteem. It happens even before puberty too, just think about all of the things a toddler sees you do and tries to emulate - funny faces you make, the way you eat your food or even those curse words you let slip.

Telling your daughter she is beautiful, both inside and out, is just one piece of helping her to develop a positive body image. Moms can also help promote positive body images to their children by learning to love themselves, by teaching children that healthy people come in all shapes and sizes, and by placing value on talents, interests, and intellect instead of only on physical appearance.