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Body beautiful
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Fashion Week. It's a time most fashion watcher's look forward to because it shows us what's hot, what's not and gives us a sneak peek at what we could all be wearing in the year to come..
This year however, the clothes were overshadowed
by the death of two models, from suspected malnutrition.
Even though their autopsies listed their cause of death
as congenital heart disease, event organisers in Madrid
took a stand and banned extremely thin models.
And while Australian health professionals urged Australian organisers to follow suit, they refused, sparking widespread debate over body image and the unhealthy message that the fashion industry can send to our children.
Body image is our attitude towards our own body. It's the way we think and feel about the way we look and how we think others see us.
"If society keeps telling us that to be beautiful and happy and admired is to be thin, it's not surprising that there are many people, mainly women, who become obsessed with attaining this ideal," says Amanda Gordon, President of the Australian Psychological Society.
"These people – with poor body image and self-esteem – are so obsessed, that no matter how much they try to transform their body, it is never enough. Because thin will not equal happy.
"It is these individuals who are most susceptible to eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and binge eating."
Body image can be influenced by a number of factors. These include our own beliefs and attitudes as well as those of society, the media and our peers, says Julie Thomson, from The Butterfly Foundation, a community organisation that supports people with eating disorders.
"The media, through fashion magazines, advertisements and music videos continues to link happiness with looks. Turn on your TV or pick up a magazine and you'll see countless images of thin women or muscly men who appear to have it all. This is dangerous because
it gives people an unrealistic ideal of what they should look like in order to be happy.
"It is especially concerning for the many children who may not understand that their favourite celebrity or sports stars have their image digitally enhanced.
"If we as a society want to reinforce positive body images, we need to teach our kids to be media savvy. The government needs to invest more in self-esteem building programs in schools. And schools need to take the issue seriously and place it higher on their agenda.
"We believe body image education is just as important as sex and drug education.
"That's why we work in partnership with the Dove Self Esteem Fund and the Victorian Government on the BodyThink educational program."
The highly successful BodyThink program is specifically designed for school aged children (11-14 yrs) to help them grow up with positive body image. It teaches them to put the beauty world in perspective and to understand and deal with feelings about their own physical appearance. The program also shows them how the "ideal" images of beauty are created by the media.
"The training workshop is currently available in Victoria and New South Wales, but we hope to work with all state and territory governments to make it available to all Australian children," says Julie.
But there's only so much that schools and governments can do to help. Parents also need to recognise the role they play in helping their children grow into healthy confident adults.
"Parents play an important role in helping their children develop positive body image and self-confidence,"
says Julie.
5 ways to boost your kids self confidence…
- Be a positive role model & practise what you preach
Serve your kids healthy meals and snacks and encourage them to participate in physical activities. By helping them to lead a healthy balanced lifestyle, children are less likely to become overweight or obsessed with their appearance.
Never criticise your own appearance in front of your children. Children learn much of their behaviours from those closest to them. If you have issues with the ways you look, make sure your kids are not aware of them.
- Build their self-confidence
Help build their self-confidence by encouraging them to get involved in activities such as sports, arts or music.
- Open the lines of positive communication
It's important to give your kids positive feedback. But don't limit the feedback just to their appearance. Be sure to
also comment on their personality
and school performance.
- Teach your kids to be
media savvy
Be aware of the types of programs your kids are watching. Young Media Australia, a national community organisation that looks at the role the media plays in the healthy development of Australian children has found a link between TV viewing, negative body image and eating disorders. The thousands of advertisements targeted specifically to children provide the most harmful viewing. These ads encourage unhealthy eating and tend to link success and happiness with physical appearance.
Music videos and fashion and celebrity magazines are also harmful because they portray an unrealistic view of what's fashionable and trendy.
"It's important to teach your kids that their favourite celebrity has their photo digitally retouched and airbrushed before it appears on the cover of a magazine. Most kids don't realise this and end up idolising an image that is only achievable in a fantasy world,"
says Julie.
- Love them unconditionally
and don't compare
Be sure to tell your kids that you love and admire them just as they are, not for what they might become in the future. Also never compare your children to others, especially in front of others. Just because Sue can spell better than Tom, doesn't make her a better person.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are a group of mental illnesses that affect men and women of all age groups, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds. These disorders are not solely about food, and are usually more about issues of low self-esteem, anxiety, compulsive behaviours, and negative body image.
Anorexia Nervosa
Amanda Gordon, President of the Australian Psychological Society, describes anorexia as a life-threatening illness that leads
to a dangerously low body weight.
"Anorexia is typically characterised by dieting, purging behaviours – such as vomiting or taking laxatives – and over-exercising.
"These individuals often see themselves as fat, regardless of the weight they have lost and are obsessed with strange
eating behaviours, like only eating alone, or collecting recipes and cooking for others but not joining them to eat."
Bulimia Nervosa
This disorder results in an over-preoccupation with food and weight that results in erratic eating behaviours.
People with bulimia will most often binge eat and then compensate for their overindulgence by purging and over-exercising.
"People with bulimia often feel trapped in this cycle and ashamed of their behaviour," says Amanda.
"They can withdraw from social gatherings and are fearful of being found out."
Binge Eating
Not all eating disorders result in weight loss. Individuals with binge eating disorder are prone to binge eating without the compensatory purging.
Eating Disorders Not
Otherwise Specified
This refers to the wide range of disordered eating patterns that don't fit all the requirements for anorexia, bulimia or binge eating.
These behaviours are no less serious and intervention and treatment are still required.
The Warning Signs
If you suspect someone you love might have an eating disorder, it's important to get them help before they do long term damage to their bodies. Here are some of the warning signs to look for:
- Preoccupation with food
- Deliberate self-starvation
- Significant weight loss or gain
- Intense fear or preoccupation
with weight or body shape
- Compulsive exercise
Refusal to eat
- Frequent trips to the
bathroom after eating
- Avoiding social situations
that include food
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