Body image and self-confidence
Body image
Body image is the thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs someone has about their own body, how it looks, feels, appears and moves.
Self-confidence
Self-confidence is an attitude regarding a person’s own skills and abilities. It is an acceptance of trust in one’s ability, personal qualities and judgment.
Children and young adults are faced with a number of challenges related to body image and self-confidence. It is often identified as one of the biggest concerns for this age group and can be influenced a number of factors including:
Social pressures
Diet culture and beauty ideals are a constant theme children see. This can often create unrealistic expectations of what is needed to be seen as desirable.
Media and social media
The pervasive use of certain social media channels creates a comparison of people’s best photos with their own everyday bodies. This is not a fair comparison.
Parent and family norms
The discussions you have with your children can greatly impact the way they look at themselves and their bodies. Some norms around body weight or weight loss have been passed down through generations and often are not helpful for young adults (especially with young girls who have added pressures as they age).
Puberty
Physical changes in a young person’s body can cause them to be self-conscious as body parts grow or change.
Body shaming or bullying
Regardless of how subtle it may be, body shaming can have lasting impacts on children’s self-confidence. Studies show that body shaming children has more negative consequences than positive outcomes.
How common is poor body image?
A recent study of children 12-18 years old found that of the 1,635 respondents, 90.1% reported some level of concern about their body image. Nearly half (45%) responded they are dissatisfied with the way their body looks.
As a parent, it can often be hard to hear your child talk about themselves or their body in a negative way. The good news is you have a great deal of influence over the way your child views and values themselves. B
See our tips to help your child through the journey of body acceptance.
Focus on the positives
Your child’s body is capable of many things, from transport to fun activities to dance. Being grateful for what their body can achieve will give them insight into some positivity.
Avoid unhelpful comparisons
The more young people compare themselves to others, the less likely they are to value their own strengths. These comparisons are often on social media where photos can be heavily edited to create online engagement.
Mind your words
Remind yourself that speaking kindly to your child and not body or food-shaming them will help create a positive environment. Also, using words like “bad food” or “toxic” is unlikely to create food freedom in the family.
Remind your child to watch their words
Remind your child to be kind to themself through the internal dialogue they have. Respecting themselves starts with small internal thoughts.
Be cautious of overly restrictive diet trends
Educate yourself on diet culture through reliable and relevant sources. Overly restrictive diets or excessive exercise is not a helpful or healthy relationship to build with your child. See Lifestyle diets for more information.
Be open to all body shapes
Respecting diversity when you see others out in the community will help inform your child that different body shapes and sizes are completely okay and that someone's internal values and substance have nothing to do with their appearance.
Orthorexia
Orthorexia is the term given to describe an unhealthy obsession or fixation on food intake, weight or excessive exercise. It can develop into a very negative health habit.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
When children start to chronically obsess or worry about their bodies, their doctor may diagnose or refer to the condition as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
Body dysmorphia disorder is a condition that causes people to feel their body is flawed in some way. This worry often takes up excess time and energy for the child and can affect relationships and social interactions. Working alongside a healthcare professional is the best way to work through BDD.