Media is one of the major contributors to the damaged body images we have in our society. Once, it was only girls, but now we have more and more boys suffering from low body image.
Movies and magazines show celebrities who look tall and slim, with smooth skin at every pose. It is no wonder people spend money on products to try to “fix” themselves. What they do not know is that the photos they see are heavily photo-shopped and that the person they see in the magazine never looked like that.
It seems fitting that we should use the media to fix the damage done by the media. That way, our daughters and sons can see it. Yes, the photo-shopped images are beautiful, but they are not normal.
Talk to your kids about this at an early stage. Even a 7 year old can learn to be critical of what they see.
The videos below show some how body image is distorted for the media. They are fantastic and educational. They can be a good starting point for a discussion with your children about what a healthy and natural human body looks like:
While our kids’ body images may be distorted by the work of others, it is our responsibility as parents to make sure they grow up confident and secure in themselves and their bodies.
Happy parenting,
Ronit
This post is part of the series Anorexia:
- Anorexia: Dying to Be Thin!
- Anorexia: Model Parenting
- Anorexia: Warning Signs
- Anorexia: Exaggerated Perception
- Anorexia: How to stop worrying
- Anorexia: Love Your Body
- Anorexia: Healing through Creativity
- Anorexia: Fix the Broken Body Image Created by the Media
