Midterm Article Body image in Adolescents In this paper, the focus is on female’s body image, specifically adolescents, and the factors that affect body image negatively. Studies in both The United States and Japan point to different factors that affect body image. The journal article “Relationship between body image and lifestyle factors in Japanese adolescent girls,” is used to compare and contrast with girls body image in The United States. So what is body image? Body image is the dynamic perception of one’s body– how it looks, feels, and moves.
It is shaped by perception, emotions, physical sensations, and is not static, but can change in relation to mood, physical experience, and environment (Stang, 2005).
Across all cultures and age groups women in general have a distorted view of body image. This view of their body image has a huge impact on the development of many things, specifically with adolescent girls. A negative body image may lead to negative developments, such as obesity, eating problems, and eating disorders (Mori, Sekine, Yamagami & Kagamimori, 2009).
What leads to this negative body imagine?
American and Japanese have studied what lifestyle factors affect body image in women. Body image, as defined in the journal article, is an inaccurate perception of personal bodyweight, plays a significant role in the development of obesity, eating problems and eating disorders. Certain lifestyle factors may influence an individual’s body image, but current knowledge is based mainly on studies in Western populations (Mori, Sekine, Yamagami & Kagamimori, 2009).
The Term Paper on Media’s Effect on Body Image and Eating Disorders
Being voluptuous was a sign of wealth and beauty. Women were not obsessed with diet fads, or trying to look a certain way, but were more concerned with eating healthy and were comfortable with the natural body shape given to them by God. Since 1970, eating disorders have increased by 400% (Rader). What has happened since then to shift the emphasis from a healthy feeling of self worth to a need to ...
These life style factors can be several different things, but for this paper, behaviors, such as sleep, eating habits, and exercise, and socicultural factors will be addressed.
Life style factors such as sleep, eating habits and exercise, have a correlation to body image. When this correlation is negative, the body image may also be negative. This, in turn, may direct negative developments, such as obesity, eating problems and eating disorders. In the journal article, about Japanese adolescents, it is seen that variations form the norm in eating habits, sleeping habits and exercise, shows a relationship with a distorted perception of body image in Japanese adolescent girls (Mori, Sekine, Yamagami & Kagamimori, 2009).
American studies have shown similar results, for example, poor body image has been identified as a central factor in the development of eating disorders (Kolander, Ballard & Chandler, 2011).
Other life style factors, that can have a negative impact on body image, is socicultural factors. Socicultural factors such as media, peer pressure, parental perception and family composition, can affect many things in a good and bad way (Mori, Sekine, Yamagami & Kagamimori, 2009).
Negative socicultural factors may have a negative impact on a women’s body image, specifically an adolescent girl.
