Body image is the mental presentation that a person creates of the aesthetics or sensual appeal of their form. It implicates how one sees ("The Experience and Meaning of Body Image: Hearing the Voices of African American Sorority Women", 2007) themselves rendering the standards set by the society. Occasionally it may not bear any relation to how the society sees you. It’s a subject to many forms of distortion differing from early experiences, parental attitudes, emotions or moods.
The mental image directly affects the behavioral attributes of the subject and has mostly been the critical driving force behind many eating disorders, mood ailments and other health diseases. The society has placed a high charge on the issue of the attractiveness of the mortal body . Nevertheless, a person's insight into their body many fail to meet the morals set by society.
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The notion of physique image has been cast-off in various disciplines such as philosophy, psychiatry, psychology, and ethnic and feminist pieces of training. The psychology behind body image entails one's attribution to his body. We are mired in a world where physical looks and other physical attributes such as height, muscle, skin tone and other physical attributes rule the day. It is therefore essential that one appreciates themselves just the way they are.
Having a poor sense of body image affects a person in numerous ways. Poor academic performance is a resultant result whereby an individual puts their significant focus on their body image and the society's impression on their body at the expense of shutting off their academic concentration. Similarly, a person with a poor sense of body image has a lower output. This has resulted in too many failing careers as much effort is put into creating a perfect body image at the expense of their careers.
Similarly, other related glitches may include poor relationship satisfaction and at last an overall quality of life. In extreme cases, one may suffer from body dysmorphic disorder where an individual imagines a physical defect on their body. Majorly, a victim zeroes in a specific body part that he lays a fault on. Often the perceived fault is not even noticeable to others or society.
Individuals who suffer from this severe syndrome preoccupy themselves with the flaw to the point of dysfunction with others opting for the services of cosmetic surgeons and getting facial surgeries and body implants to appease their body image. A positive body image is a crucial aspect of living a healthy and productive life. One has to put his mind into loving themselves the way they are.
Throughout the past, it has remained hard for individuals to live up to the values set by humanity on what a perfect body is. Persons who are either overweight or underweight have a poor body appearance. However, when such persons are communicated that and exposed to the cosmetic demand of mass loss or the risks associated with being obese those who are underweight learn to appreciate themselves.
The society often depicts body image as a reflection of self-worth. Over the centuries people have struggled with body image issues particularly with the quick continuous changes in the ideal body shapes and kinds (Hildebrandt, Shiovitz, Alfano & Greif, 2008). Historically, such customs were established by ethnic beliefs, social standings or gender. However, notwithstanding these factors being present nowadays, fluctuations in style and mass media productions are the key inspirations in modern society.
Education as a principle in body image varies from media, health, and physical education to family education. The physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual health of an individual pay an essential role in creating a sense of belonging to an individual. Therefore, health and physical education are crucial in understanding body image. The media is a rich source of obtaining a positive body image.
There is substantial evidence that has proven that media education can counter unrealistic media representations of the ideal body image. Media education has proven to be very effective. Family education also plays a crucial hand in the creation of a perfect body image. The importance of being a parent or a guardian is to become optimistic and helpful of their offspring regarding their bodily attributes and their potentials (Chen & Jackson, 2005). Parents should also set a good instance when it derives to body figure and maintaining body fitness.
Parents also play a vital role in countering unrealistic media materials. Parents that participate in media together with their offspring and who inspire their offspring to appeal or think about what is being said about body language are setting a stepping stone towards the creation of groundwork for healthy habits. These children incorporate these habits into their daily lives and boost their confidence. They then change the lives of their surrounding counterparts.
Historically the flawless lady remained told to be slim with thin bears and a high tummy. Women were then encouraged in their prettiness habits and general objectivity. However, these factors took a standpoint turn when the society began worshipping the male figures. Pressure then shifted to men as they faced more significant burdens on perfection and beauty. Through evolvement of time, the depiction of an ideal woman has changed with plus size women becoming a preference.
However, technological advancement and media pressure have controlled to an even bigger significance as being placed on how you appear a suggestion of our value. Concerning the evolution of culture, technological advancement has subjugated a person’s order of physical connections. The association of knowledge with media has created a stage of distribution where they intercept and understand communications about ourselves, our bodies and our self-confidence.
Sadly, much of the information conveyed in these platforms about ourselves is false. Many individuals mostly the modern teens crush their dreams as they believe to have not met the set standards by the society. This has made them opt for plastic surgeries and other medical methods to counter their thought of flaws. Physical education has also been a rising discipline.
People’s outer physical characteristics and their insights and attitudes about their body image directly affect their lives. Many thin teen boys often lack self-esteem as they feel inferior to their other male counterparts who are strong and well-built. Bullying is a factor that can be attributed to the physical appearance where the strong look down upon the smaller ones and tease them.
Body image is arguably a gender issue which majorly affects the female gender. Females all-round the domain are majorly estimated and judged according to appearance. This appearance bracket varies from age, size or their skin tone (Hildebrandt, Shiovitz, Alfano & Greif, 2008. With accessories and apparel designed to heighten looks, the burden of perfection has been made heavier. Similarly, the social media, marketing campaigns, adverts and magazines all have set a new picture of an ideal woman and the perfect body image.
We live in times where women are viewed as the ultimate commodity and are used to market products. The fundamental purpose of most adverts is to satisfy the plea to the uncertainties of the people in the hope of vending them the merchandises. Marketers understand that by fueling negative body imagery on something will prompt those affected to purchase their products. For this reason, advertisers often advocated for the ability to achieve a particular look that they have set it as the perfect body, which can only be achieved through their products and various retouches.
The propensity to relate good-looking bodily abilities with personal qualities is a vice that has been present since time immemorial. Beautiful people are attributed to be with good conditions where else the ugly counterparts are depicted to be evil and untrustworthy ("The Experience and Meaning of Body Image: Hearing the Voices of African American Sorority Women", 2007). Individuals allocate positive character traits and lifetime results to those they consider good-looking both spiritually and physically.
Thus, women attitude towards their body is based on the comparison with what the media depicts and what the society considers to be a perfect woman. This is the reason that many women find themselves too fat or too thin and hence lack a positive body image of themselves. Many fat girls desire to lose weight where else many thin girls want to gain weight.
The males similarly face the burden concerning the attraction. The media representation of a perfect guy being a well-developed figure has led to many body dissatisfactions among the men (Burlew & Shurts, 2013). When this dissatisfaction reaches top levels, an individual suffers from Body Dimorphic Disorder which is a condition where a person focuses on self-perceived flaws and weaknesses .
The chief cause of body issues in men include being teased by others and the social media at large. Many teenage boys get this pressure from celebrity involvement. Many teenagers want to have the physical attributes that a celebrity has and often live in self-denial after knowing that they cannot be like them. Other teenage boys get affected by negative body talks from others.
Muscle Dysmorphia is a mental disorder that mostly affects young teenage men. The victims continually pursuit their well-built model body but sadly many on no occasion attain it due to never being completely fulfilled with their body. Women also contribute to the men's negative body image with many ladies preferring built men with six-pack abs, broad shoulders, and a well-developed upper body.
The bulked-up hero’s’ characterized in movies and various video games all take a collective cause in depicting a negative body image on men. By watching built up men fight and punch each other up boys study that hostility is vital and they ought all to struggle to get such muscles("Dissertation Summaries and Abstracts in Body Image; The Seymour Fisher Outstanding Body Image Dissertation Annual Award", 2008). This is evident with the many criminal offenders being heavily built as they realize that size is a distinguishing factor that makes them instill fear into their victims.
Through tackling this question, learners can appreciate themselves for who they are, and more so they escalate they bodies and realize that they are beautiful just the way they are. Learners can learn that there is no ideal body sizes or that perfect person and the standards set by the society are just illusional notions that one should not bother trying to meet them.
Besides, by tackling the question, learners can equip themselves with the necessary skills required in public writing, further, through research and brainstorming students can open out their minds and get ideas from all the world. By noting down and writing the learners can master the art of concentration and coordination. Through the writing process, learners also learn the skills of typing and become fast typists.
In conclusion, the ideal body shape or size is a notion that has been set by the people or society. No one is entitled to meet a particular set setting concerning their body size, shape or physical appearance. Every individual should appreciate their body size and have a positive body image this will help gain self-esteem and boost one's confidence.
References
Burlew, L., & Shurts, W. (2013). Men and Body Image: Current Issues and Counseling Implications. Journal of Counseling & Development , 91 (4), 428-435. Doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2013.00114.x
Chen, H., & Jackson, T. (2005). Are cognitive biases associated with body image concerns similar between cultures? Body Image , 2 (2), 177-186. Doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.03.005
Dissertation Summaries and Abstracts in Body Image. (2010). Body Image , 7 (2), 177. doi: 10.1016/s1740-1445(10)00022-7
Dissertation Summaries and Abstracts in Body Image; the Seymour Fisher Outstanding Body Image Dissertation Annual Award. (2008). Body Image , 5 (3), 329. doi: 10.1016/s1740-1445(08)00094-6
Hildebrandt, T., Shiovitz, R., Alfano, L., & Greif, R. (2008). Defining body deception and its role in peer-based social comparison theories of body dissatisfaction. Body Image , 5 (3), 299-306. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.04.007
The Experience and Meaning of Body Image: Hearing the Voices of African American Sorority Women. (2007). Body Image , 4 (1), 111. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.02.002
