BODY IMAGE

Fa t i m a & H e l e n 8 C
BODY IMAGE

2
 WHAT IS BODY IMAGE?
Body Image is a person’s perception of their physical self
and the thoughts and feelings, positive or negative, about
their body.
 POSITIVE BODY IMAGE
A person with a positive body image feels confident in their own skin. A
person with a positive body image understands that as long as they are
happy with their appearance and body that’s all that matters even if it
does not live up to other people's standards. A healthy lifestyle with a
balanced diet and exercise contributes to a positive body image.

4
 NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE
A person has a negative body image when they feel like their body has to
match the standards of their family, social media, and friends. They will
frequently compare themselves with others, especially models and
people on social media, and will have unrealistic views of what their body
should look like. People will feel embarrassed and insecure. For example,
a person with a normal BMI (Body Mass Index) may see themselves as fat.

5
 WHAT FACTORS AFFECT During those two hours, people come across
BODY IMAGE? posts about celebrities, models, and people

Social Media with today's standard of a perfect body. It is our

human instinct to always compare ourselves to
There are a lot of factors that can influence a
others, whether it be our happiness, lifestyle,
person's perception of their body and body
or body and appearance. Comparing ourselves
image in general. One of these factors includes
to other can lead to mental and health issues,
Social Media. Nowadays, Social Media is a part
insecurities, and depression. People will start to
of everyone's lives. It helps us in communicating
feel their bodies aren't good enough, and try to
with other through words and digital media such
make them 'better'. Of course you can try to
as photos and videos. There may be a lot of
lose weight or start eating healthy for your own
positives to social media, but there are always
happiness and health purposes, but starving
negatives to it, one being it's influence on
yourself to reach other people's standards is not
negative body image. Even though both men and
fine. What people don't understand is that a
women can be influenced by body standards, it
'perfect body' doesn't exist. Social Media
is more women than men. According to
influences that by having a stereotype of a
'SocialMediaToday', an average person spends at
likeable body.
least two hours a day on Social Media.

Add a Footer 6
 WHAT FACTORS AFFECT BODY
IMAGE?
Friends and Family

Friends and family can affect a person's perception of their body

because people may feel like they are the 'odd on out' in their
friend group because their body was different to their friends'.
Toxic friends could also affect their body image because they would
make them feel bad about themselves. Family can affect them by
telling them to "thin down" or "stop eating so much" etc. Even if
this is said jokingly, people could take it seriously because they
would have just heard the same things from their friends. Family
would also want them to follow their cultural beauty which may
not be what they want. This could pressure them to be "better"
and it could lead to eating disorders.

Add a Footer 7
 ANOREXIA NERVOSA
W H AT I S I T ?
Anorexia is the lack or loss of appetite for food (as
a medical condition). It is an emotional disorder
characterised by an obsessive desire to lose weight
by refusing to eat.

3 SYMPTOMS OF
ANOREXIA

• Physical Symptoms - Insomnia

• Behavioral Symptoms - Severely restricting food
intake through dieting or fasting
• Emotional Symptoms – changes in mood and
emotional state

Add a Footer 8

Young teenagers around the age
group of 12-15 are most likely to
have this disorder because they are
exposed to the media a lot and look
up to a many celebrities who they
aspire to be like who may have an
unrealistic body image. During the
teenage years is also when people
start caring a lot about how they
look and start feeling more self
conscious about themselves.
WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE
ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Disordered eating often begins with dieting to get in shape or eat healthier,
but then progresses into an extreme situation. Many other factors can
increase the risk that the dieting may develop into an eating disorder such
as anorexia. These include:
• Family factors – genetics, family influences, religion, culture
• Individual factors – such as low self-esteem or wanting to do things
perfectly all the time and attitudes towards self appearance
• Outside factors – the influence of the media and social pressures to look a
certain way
• Life factors – certain stressors like exams, work, relationships and feeling
overwhelmed, anxiety and depression