We hear a lot about the body image of women these days and female body image is an important issue. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, about one in every 200 women in America suffers from anorexia. Even more women suffer from bulimia. These disorders are often, though not always, closely related to body image.
Causes of Poor Body Image of Women
There are many factors that may contribute to a poor female body image. We live in a culture where thinness and beauty is highly valued. Not only is beauty highly valued, but a specific image of beauty is preferred. Of course women of all shapes and sizes can be beautiful, but the media portrays tall, slender, blonde women as being most desirable. Short, curvy women with gray hair are portrayed as unattractive in the popular media.
Media images of thin women are everywhere – television shows, movies, popular magazines. The average fashion model today is 5’10” or 5’11” and weighs 120 to 125 pounds. That means they have a body mass index of about 17.4. Anything under 18.5 is considered underweight and unhealthy, but this is the picture we are made to believe is beautiful.
This poor female body image begins developing at a very young age. About 50 percent of all girls between the ages of 11 and 13 believe they are overweight, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that only 18 percent of adolescents are really overweight. About 80 percent of girls in this age group say that they have dieted in an attempt to lose weight.
The Effects of Poor Body Image of Women
The effects of a poor female body image are wide-reaching. About seven million women currently suffer from eating disorders. Men can get eating disorders, too, but they are far more common in women. Body image issues seem to be a bigger problem for women than for men. For more information about eating disorders, click here.
In addition to leading to the development of eating disorders, a poor body image of women can contribute to depression, anxiety, problems in relationships, the development of substance abuse problems, the development of unhealthy eating habits and various health problems.
Of course women that believe they are not good enough become anxious and depressed. They may take up drinking or drugs to alleviate those feelings. Many women also believe that smoking or using certain drugs will help them lose weight or prevent weight gain. Of course not all women with poor-self esteem become alcoholics or drug addicts, but it is a concern for some women.
Poor self-esteem often contributes to problems in relationships. It has often been said that you cannot love someone else if you cannot love yourself. A poor female body image might make women feel uncomfortable being intimate with a partner. It might make them doubt a partner’s love for them. Of course, depression creates stress in a relationship, as well.
Addressing a Poor Body Image of Women
Changing the way the media portrays women would be useful but that’s a long-term goal. Women with poor body image need more immediate solutions. There are some simple things people can do to improve self-esteem, like focusing on their accomplishments and good qualities, repeating affirmations and working with self-esteem workbooks available in any bookstore. For those with serious anxiety, depression or eating disorders related to poor body image, however, psychotherapy or other mental health treatment is recommended. Things like depression, anorexia and bulimia rarely just go away on their own and since they can be so very serious, prompt treatment is indicated.
For more information on the media and body image, follow these links to body image in the media, the perfect body image, and Barbie and body image. The media influence on body image is far reaching. In addition to women, the body image men have is greatly influenced by the media. To find out how you can help and to learn about healthy body images and body dysmorphic disorder, just follow the links.