If you’re expecting a lecture on the importance of eating fruits and vegetables for National Nutrition Month, you’re in for a surprise!
It’s true, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (antioxidants) are abundant in produce, but food isn’t the only way to nourish the body.
Around the age of 9, body awareness enters into the complexity of human development. Body image is how we see ourselves physically and how we feel in our skin. And a perception of our body, positive or negative, stays with us into adulthood.
For more
For more information about positive body image, visit:
Health and Human Services Body Positive Parenting: https://tinyurl.com/vum53nv9.
CDC Positive Parenting: https://tinyurl.com/26pchhsz.
To test this theory, I ask you, how do you feel about your body? Do you self-criticize imperfections? Or, do you accept and appreciate the blueprint you were born with?
Perception matters because negative body image is associated with disordered eating, depression, low self-esteem and more, especially in females, but not excluding males.
It doesn’t take much to sway the direction in which we view our body. Perceptions of physical beauty are fed to us early on by many role models – friends and peers, parents/adult caregivers, health care providers, celebrities and even the toys we play with as children.
Admittedly, this topic is top of mind. Not long ago, I picked up my kiddo and within seconds, she broke into tears because another child had laughed and teased her about her body.
I’d like to think the other kid acted without thinking. Regardless, it doesn’t change the affect. We forget many things throughout life, but some leave a mark. How long this memory will stay with her, I don’t know. But in the days after, I feel concern about changes in eating and how she sucks in her belly. The hurt persists.
Call this a mamma bear reaction or a call to action because somehow, some way, we’re all simultaneously influencers and influenced. It’s a lot of power to hold, so what kind of influencer do you want to be?
Adolescence is one of the most vulnerable stages. You might remember how awkward it was to be in your rapidly changing body, complete with mood swings, pimples and more.
You might believe the teen brain is in outer space, but behind the hoody, they are watching and listening. Adults, they’re cognizant of what you say about your body and how you treat it.
Even subtle, negative comments like, “All I’ve eaten is bad food, no wonder my belly is so big,” can perpetuate negative body image. Per this example, food is defined as good or bad, which can further translate into a personal attribute. And two, beauty has been defined as a flat belly, thus any other shape is less attractive.
The tendency is to believe the things we hear frequently. When negative body talk is repeated and combined with unrealistic (and often unhealthy) displays of beauty often seen in media, well, you can see the direction of influence.
As a role-model, the shift begins with your behavior. Choose your words wisely – focus on the internal health benefits of food and physical activity choices, rather than the impact on physical appearance. The body comes in many shapes and sizes, all with some limitations, but also, amazing capacity.
Positive body image talk isn’t just for the benefit of youths, they’re words of nourishment for anybody who chooses to feed their mind with them.
Nicole Clark is director of La Plata County Extension Office. Reach her at nclark@lpcgov.org.
