Physical appearances become young people’s obsession. Not only do young people concentrate on their appearance, but also the society has emphasized this aspect. Loveliness, fashion, and weight are frequently taken with high regard by all the youths. Most of the individuals in the United States are obese which is coming up as a common challenge since they endeavor to be super skinny, particularly the youths. Offensive as it appears, individuals are perceived to be a symbol of some higher type of beauty presently. Young men are expected to be sturdy and tall, while women should be light-colored and skinny socially (Mastro, Zimmer-Gembeck, Webb, Farrell, & Waters, 2016). The buzz life has increased this situation a lot more. Young people endeavor to be their ideal superstars or personalities and for that, they would not care what they do to attain that (Grogan, 2016). Young people find it exciting to explore that fantasy world where people are richer and better looking than themselves; individuals seek to be free to do anything they wish. Distorted body image affects their personal lives, social lives, and physical and mental health.
Young persons also live a dissatisfied life, which affects their quality of life. Based on the pressure they have of striving to adopt the ideal body size and shape that they have seen in the celebrities, they indulge in improper lifestyles. This is because of having a poor body image about oneself. They develop poor eating habits because of being selective with the foods they eat. Sometimes because of depression, some experience eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, binge-eating orders and among others (Grogan, 2016). They are also those young people that have demonstrated poor lifestyles and have become obese in the process. Consequently, they indulge in many exercises beyond the specified limits with a bid to cut their weight. It is a serious life dilemma of dieting because they have distorted body image rather than eating nutritionally well.
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Distorted body image also affects the mental and emotional wellbeing of young persons. The mental picture that young people have regarding their body and the way they feel concerning it when they look at themselves through the mirror affects them mentally. If they have a bad mentality about their bodies, it will make them dislike themselves. Young people do not really appreciate themselves and the way they look (Mastro et al., 2016). It is the reason why they are making all the efforts to alter their body to fit what they think looks best. They are affected mentally because they do not pay attention to their individual qualities and strengths that make them feel good about their weight, appearance, and shape. The pressure to attain the perfect body that young people get amused with from the media or through interactions make them be affected mentally and emotionally.
Young persons that are bothered by their physical appearance have low self-esteem. They fail to value and respect themselves, because of the belief they have about themselves inside and out (Berry, 2016). Self-esteem influences how they consider themselves emotionally, spiritually and in every way. They do not feel like they are good enough because of low self-esteem, which is critical especially when dealing with tough feelings and situations. Body image and self-esteem generally affect each other, as well as someone’s feelings, perspectives, and behaviors. As a result, they experience depression and anxiety because of leaving a dissatisfied life. All these are components of someone’s mental health that are affected by having a distorted image about one’s self (Mastro et al., 2016). Having a negative impression about oneself causes the youths to begin focusing on their weaknesses or challenges in one area or one circumstance.
People that have a wrong body image are affected emotionally immensely. Whenever people are emotionally affected, it results in binge eating, over-exercising, being depressed, anxious, and among others. They can be emotionally disturbed because of either over-exercising or having poor physical health. Whenever they are emotionally disturbed, they even withdraw from others (Mastro et al., 2016). They feel lowly about themselves, as they perceive that others are undermining them. Young people that feel that their bodies are distorted may not be comfortable interacting with others. They prefer to be preoccupied with other things like being in the gym, with food, but not to interact with others. Thus, their social life is greatly compromised because of a wrong perception about their bodies.
Distorted body image brings about weight issues among young persons. For instance, somebody may be thinking that he or she is overweight when in the real sense he or she is not. However, being overweight is critical as it predisposes the young persons to cardiovascular diseases. People are prone to diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, and among others that are harmful to their bodies. Poor eating disorders also crop up, which affects people physically. Dieting increases the chances of having an eating disorder (Berry, 2016). Eating disorders like dieting or restrictive eating can also amount to malnourished life, which compromises their physical health.
In conclusion, distorted body image is the root of many other things, as one endeavors to adjust his lifestyle. Disordered body image affects the eating habits and overall lifestyle of someone who has a wrong perception about his or life. Constant dieting because of stress can amount to physical illnesses and depression. Notably, all circumstances are relative as one lead to another. Depression and anxiety push young people to start developing eating disorders. The presence of an eating disorder compromises the physical wellbeing of someone, as he or she becomes susceptible to cardiovascular diseases.
References
Berry, B. (2016). The power of looks: Social stratification of physical appearance . Routledge.
Grogan, S. (2016). Body image: Understanding body dissatisfaction in men, women and children . Routledge.
Mastro, S., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H. J., Farrell, L., & Waters, A. (2016). Young adolescents' appearance anxiety and body dysmorphic symptoms: Social problems, self- perceptions and comorbidities. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders , 8 , 50-55.
