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SELF-ESTEEM AND BODY IMAGE

STATS:

  • 5,000 people each year have part of their intestines removed as an aid in losing weight: 80% are women
  • Out of 100 "free of eating-disorder symptoms" more than 95% overestimated their body-size on average ¼ larger than they really were
  • 90% of eating disorder sufferers are girls and women
Body Image Distortion Syndrome is a disturbance in size awareness; the 'real' body size is distorted and seen usually as larger than in reality; Emphasizes a discontinuity between anorexic and “normal” attitudes toward weight and body image.

Anorexia nervosa (anorexia) is an eating disorder with both physical and emotional traits. A person with anorexia is very underweight, yet the person severely limits the amount of food he or she eats, has a distorted body image, cannot maintain a healthy body weight, and is intensely afraid of gaining weight. Long-term or severe anorexia can lead to starvation, serious health problems, and even death.

Bulimia nervosa (bulimia) is known as the binge-purge eating disorder. A person with bulimia binges by eating a large amount of food in a short time, over a couple of hours, and then purges by vomiting, over exercising, or misusing laxatives, diuretics, or other medications. A person with bulimia obsesses about their body shape and size and has poor self-esteem. A person with bulimia feels a loss of control during a binge. After the binge, shame, guilt, and intense fear of gaining weight trigger the purging behaviors. Left unchecked, this binge-purge cycle will eventually lead to serious health problems.

CULTURE:

  • Ability to "catch a man" depends largely on physical appearance
  • People think that someone thin is automatically smarter and better
  • Slenderness is equated with competence, self-control, and intelligence
  • Feminine curvaceousness is associated with wide-eyed and giggle vapidity
  • Oprah Winfrey's most significant achievement: losing 67 lbs. on a liquid diet
  • Rise of diet and exercise features in Essence magazine

    • Some Terms All Girls Should Know

    Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerning the experiences of women, especially in terms of their social, political, and economic situation. As a social movement, feminism largely focuses on limiting or eradicating gender inequality and promoting women's rights, interests, and issues in society. It also incorporates concern about the effect of gender roles on men, and encouragement for men to change and transcend traditional male roles and norms of masculinity. Feminism is the idea that all men and women are created equal and should be treated like it!

    Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all differentiations based on sex. Sexism can refer to three subtly different beliefs or attitudes:

    • The belief that one sex is superior to the other.
    • The belief that men and women are very different and that this should be strongly reflected in society, language, the right to have sex, and the law.
    • It can also refer to simple hatred of women (misogyny) or hatred of men (misandry).
    In music videos and movies, when you see a woman (or a man) being degraded (treated as an inferior) on the bases of sex/gender, this is a form of sexism. Feminist and other people that care about rights of human beings as a whole, find the repeated acts of mistreatment found in many forms of media to have a negative impact on the health and well-being of girls, women, and even men. Media has a huge (often negative) impact on us, which is found in the accounts of many people that strive for the ideal found in movies and magazines and in music videos.
    Girls for Change, Memphis, TN :: Memphis Area Women's Council :: Contact Deborah Clubb at dclubb@memphis.edu