BODY IMAGE
A new national poll suggests that most teens and preteens are self-conscious about their appearance. Nearly two-thirds of parents who responded to the poll said their child was insecure about some aspect of their appearance. For the most part, the findings in teens weren’t surprising, said the report’s coauthor Dr. Susan Woolford, an associate professor, and co-director for the Mott Poll at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
Below are five tips for building and maintaining positive body images in your children:
1. Be a role model of self-love.
If a parent is always body-bashing themselves or making negative comments about their looks, they can expect children to follow suit. Focus less on looks and instead vocalize appreciation for all the powerful things your body can do, such as helping you feel good through walks, bike rides, or swimming.
2. Embrace body diversity.
If you hear your child comment on someone’s body size or appearance, whether it’s someone they know, on a TV show or a stranger, teach them that people come in different sizes and shapes, and have different features. None of them are bad, just different. For younger kids, look for children’s books that celebrate body diversity and positivity and read them together.
3. Avoid even “positive” praise for looks.
Especially with young girls, adults tend to make well-meaning comments praising children for their beauty. But this type of emphasis gives significance to physical appearance and reinforces messages that when someone “looks good” they are more valuable, Woolford says. This can exacerbate a young person’s worries about the opposite also being true and being self-critical. Instead, adults should focus on a child’s personal qualities, not their body, hair, face, or clothing.
4. Promote family connection through healthy activities.
Families should connect through fun movement and healthy eating because they enjoy them, not because they “have to” or someone is on a diet. This promotes healthy habits with a focus on using nutrition and exercise to make your body feel good, not on how it looks and may help ward off unhealthy dieting later in life.
5. Teach them to critically assess media.
Children are surrounded by unrealistic ideals. Models in magazines and actors in their favorite TV shows and movies often have similar body shapes that promote thinness while influencers, celebrities and even peers often use filters and editing to enhance images. Encourage your kids to be critical of what they see on TV or in social media and help them understand how certain images are “perfected.
