Jacqueline Dougé, MD, MPH, FAAP
Medical Director Bureau of Child Health, Howard County
Health Department
I remember watching this year’s Super bowl with my family
and the Monday morning discussion that was not about the game but about the
commercials. One commercial in particular caught my attention, Always #LikeaGirl. The video featured individuals
answering the question, “What is it to be like a girl?” The video starts with
adults and a young boy and ends with younger girls. The adults and boy had a remarkably different definition of
what a girl is than the younger girls.
The younger girls were more positive The point of the commercial was
that as young girls grow up, their image of themselves grows more
negative. The message hit me hard
and made me think about myself and if I had experienced the same feelings as I
grew up. The answer was a
resounding yes, and I’m not the only one.
The other day while I was watching a talk show, one of the
TV hosts was brought to tears discussing the pain and stigma she felt because
she was overweight. I could only imagine what young women and girls experience
when they think of themselves.
Common Sense Media’s recently released research article, Children, Teens,
Media, and Body Image,
examines the role of media on how children view their body image. Highlights from the research indicate
the following:
Body image has an impact on self-esteem
and health. Poor body image is
linked to low self-esteem and depression
Young children have body image issues
Young children have body image issues
Both
boys and girls experience body image issues
Parents’
views about their own body image can influence their children
Social
media could be used as an intervention strategy
Both girls and boys are surrounded by images of what is
perfect. Most TV shows have thin
and attractive lead characters whereas the side kick is usually heavier and not
seen as attractive. Children are
also exposed to distorted images in magazines, toys (Barbie dolls and action
figures) and online. But
traditional media is not solely responsible for how children determine their
own body images. Family, parents,
peers and society also play an important role. How many times have you heard yourself say that you don’t
look pretty enough or you’re too fat? How many times do you tell yourself that you need to lose 5-10 pounds? How many times do we tell ourselves
that we’re not good enough? Our
kids are listening to and watching us.
There is opportunity to change the conversation about what
beauty or handsomeness means.
Common Sense Media has provided resources for parents and providers to have positive discussions about body
image:
Sex, Gender
and Body Image
Information for Preschool Parents·
13 Celebrities Who Won't Wreck Your Kid or Teen's Body Image
Information for Preschool Parents·
13 Celebrities Who Won't Wreck Your Kid or Teen's Body Image
All children should be able to
feel good about themselves. Adults too.
We all don’t like something about ourselves, but we must also consider
that those things are what make us unique and beautiful. We can’t just believe the
negative. Our visions of ourselves
impact how our children see themselves.
Something to think about.