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The YWCA released a study in mid-August detailing out how
dangerous the pursuit of unrealistic standards of beauty is for women and
girls. Are women hitting a crisis? This study seems to think so. The study
found that nearly 80% of women are dissatisfied with their personal appearance.
The most disturbing thing was that 40% of newly diagnosed cases of eating
disorders are in young girls. The study says that body image problems start for
girls as early as kindergarten.
Kindergarten.
5 years old.
Negative body image issues start.
Whoa.
In my humble little opinion I think that as a society we are
giving girls new currency in debasing, teasing or ostracizing others. Small
children have always found one reason or another to tease each other or exclude
others. As I recall from being a child the kids who were socially awkward,
dirty or “weird” where the ones who were excluded from play. I also remember
the most basic taunt was about being stupid or smelly. My how things have changed.
“Mean Girl” behavior is starting so young. When our society places so much
emphasis on being thin and beautiful its only natural that it will have a
trickle down effect on the youth. Of course they are going to start separating
the world into their own value system. Our kids are learning that pretty and
thin is good and that fat and ugly is bad.
I talked about this before and I think its so crucial to try
and instill a different value system in kids. That self value should be based
on character not just on outward appearances. But I have to wonder how much
that really sinks in when the kids sit in class and see the social hierarchy in
their world play out based on looks.
I guess all parents can do is create a strong positive self
image in their kids and attempt to combat the negative messages they receive at
school all day. Maybe it’s a matter of talking about how when people focus too
much on looks that it is a bad thing. That people are more than just a body or
a face. Does the dialogue between parents and children need to change? I
remember when my cousin was 11 or 12 she came home from school and was upset.
She told my aunt that she was fat and it was making her sad. Truth be told my
cousin was overweight at that time. Not by a lot but she was a chubby a little
kid. My aunt talked to her about why she felt that way. Surprisingly my cousin
was able to express herself really well. She told my aunt that she “didn’t feel
good about herself.” She told me aunt she felt uncomfortable with how she
looked and that it made her feel worried about being accepted by kids. My aunt
asked her what she wanted to do and my cousin told her she wanted to eat better
and that she wanted to start playing sports. My aunt signed her up for soccer
and basketball and started preparing healthier meals.
Unfortunately for my cousin she became totally looks
obsessed. My aunt tried her hardest to instill in my cousin that its more
important to be a good person and to have strong character but my cousin
received so much positive attention once she became thin that to her that was
everything. She became acceptable to others and to her that was enough.
It just seems that this is a larger concern than ever
before. I wonder if maybe its just because we are starting to pay attention to
body image issues and are recognizing that girls are susceptible to negative
body image at younger and younger ages. It makes me want to throw out the tv
and homeschool. Though I don’t think that’s really the answer.
Our society as a whole has bought into this “hyper-reality”
ideal. That the perfect life is just slightly out of reach if only we could
lose that 10 pounds, afford the it bag, drive the right car and have the “perfect”
life. Maybe we all need to snap out of it. There is so much more available to
us then ever before. We are bombarded with images and ideals on a daily basis
and we have to be the gatekeeper to ourselves. We have to decide that we don’t
want to buy into the false promises and that what we want is real. I think its
probably easier for adults then it is for kids. It’s harder for them to break
down the messages they receive in such a fashion.
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