Body Image

Humans have the unique ability to form abstract conceptions about themselves and to gaze at themselves as both the seer and the object being seen. This can cause conflict when the seer places unrealistic demands on him- or herself, especially on his or her own body. As the advertising and film industries bombard the industrialized world with images of idealized beauty, more and more adolescents are forming negative body images and engaging in self-destructive behaviors to fit an unrealistic ideal.

School-age children

Children begin to recognize themselves in mirrors in meaningful ways at about 18 months and begin perceiving themselves as physical beings in toddlerhood. School-age children are aware of how their bodies look, though relatively few focus an inappropriate amount of attention on them. Ideally, children learn that their physical appearance is in many ways beyond their control and learn to accept their bodies without judgment.

However, children living in the industrialized world are immersed in a culture that creates standards of idealized beauty and then connects those standards to personal worth. Consequently, school-age children can become convinced that they are only worthwhile if they live up to an idealized standard of physical appearance.

Even without the pernicious effects of the media, children face prejudices based on their appearances. Children spend much of their early lives in schools, which are highly social and competitive, with notoriously rigid hierarchies that are often based on physical appearance. Studies have found that teachers are also drawn to the most attractive children, which can further compound a child's poor body image. In a school-age child, a poor body image usually results in social withdrawal and poor self esteem.

Adolescence

As puberty nears, children become increasingly focused on the appearance of their bodies. An adolescent may mature too quickly, too slowly, in a way that is unattractive, or in a way that makes the adolescent stand out in the crowd. Any deviation from the ideal can result in a negative body image, and adolescents may diet or use steroids to counter their own negative self concept. Distorted body images in adolescence can lead to a number of disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or dysmorphic disorder (a severe, clinically recognized illusory body image). These disorders are accompanied by psychological problems, such as depression or anxiety, as the victim magnifies a slight flaw to such a degree that all other aspects of personality and appearance are ignored. Body-image disorders such as those mentioned have become prevalent in contemporary society, especially among adolescent girls. In 1982 a study concluded that the incidence of anorexia among adolescent girls, for instance, had doubled every 10 years since the 1950s.

Gale Encyclopedia of Childhood & Adolescence. Gale Research, 1998.