Here are some heart breaking statistics about body image:

• 42% of first-third grade girls want to be thinner.
• 81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat.
• In the past decade, hospitalizations for eating disorders increased by 119% for children younger than 12.

From the show: HER Radio:

“Troubling statistics: according to a study commissioned by Dove, only four percent of women around the world describe themselves as beautiful. Another recent study found that 88 percent of middle-aged women hate their bodies. Hate is a strong word, but it describes how many women truly feel when they look in the mirror.

Today’s society is influenced by negative media messages and images. Women’s role models are no longer icons like Marilyn Monroe, but rather very thin models and actresses such as Kate Moss. This sort of unrealistic “ideal body image” is being passed down from generation to generation.”

It is difficult to entirely understand the emotional impact society has on the perception of beauty.  From fashion, make-up, weight-loss, and plastic surgery industries one doesn’t have to look far to see the extensiveness of where the impact is spread.  We can, however, look at our own thoughts and behaviors that are reflective of and may contribute to a social construction of “not good enough”.  Thoughts such as “I’m gross”, “I’m disgusting”, or “I can’t believe that I ate that, what’s wrong with me?”,  punitive self-talk statements such as “I’d better work out twice as hard now!” or “I am not going out until I’ve lost another 5 pounds!” are not only unhealthy, but destructive.

If you catch yourself making such self-statements, stop and ask yourself:

1.  Would I say that message to someone that I love (i.e. daughter, niece, mother, best friend)?

2. How would I feel if someone else said that to someone I love?

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These body image messages are not only emotionally impacting on ourselves, but they are emotionally impacting the children that look up to us for guidance.  If you notice that you are using “fat talk” with yourself, or about someone else, stop and turn your words towards inclusiveness and acceptance of differences in bodies.  Encourage your youngster to aim for healthy over thin, and self-love over self-loathing.  Just remember education and example go a long way.

~Copyright Jennifer Norstrom, 2015