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| Parenting |
 The Teenage Mirror - An Issueof Image By Debi Stagg Sometimes I get so depressed with the image of the ‘perfect’ body that society has chosen. The long, lean, tanned body, with bouncing hair and shiny, white teeth smiling out at us from every magazine and television screen; this is what we are meant to consider the only ‘acceptable’ beauty. It is not hard to see how teenagers, both male and female, can get overwhelmed. The stress on the average adult to achieve ‘perfection’ can be intimidating, and it is magnified when placed on a young mind. When trying to compare a young, often immature body to the gyrating superstar on TV, a teen can come up short and it can cause some alarming problems. Shame, unworthiness, and disrespect for one’s self are just the beginning of the problems caused by low self-esteem, which can be generated from low body image. Drug abuse, eating disorders, teen promiscuity and pregnancy, depression and serious physical health issues can lead a susceptible young teen down a never-ending road of pain. It is important that teens understand the difference between ‘healthy beauty’ and ‘dangerous beauty.’ Skipping a meal too often to loose weight may quickly become a case of anorexia, which can lead to emancipation, menstruation problems, and even death. The occasional ‘binge and purge’ to try control weight can lead to bulimia. This is a serious disorder that can create gastrointestinal damage, harm to esophagus, mouth, and teeth, irregular heartbeat, and depression. Steroid use to increase body mass can lead to paranoia, aggression, liver damage, hair loss, and heart damage. Tanning and excessive sun exposer can lead to serious skin conditions such as melanoma and premature aging. These ‘quick fixes’ to achieve that perfect body image can cause such havoc within the body, that the chances of anyone (young or old) using these extreme methods to achieve that magazine body image becomes slim. Creating a good body image is important to get teens to be self-directed and create meaningful lives. Giving light to internal strengths as opposed to outward appearance gives teens confidence to succeed beyond the societal box placed around their bodies. As body image problems are occurring in girls as young as ten, creating healthy lifestyles well before the teen years is vital to ensuring that teens do not get caught up in the hype of body type casting. It is essential that teens understand that only a very small percentage of the ‘perfect’ bodies portrayed by the media are actually obtainable naturally. For teens, learning to accept their own unique bodies can be a difficult journey as not only the media places stress on them, but their own peers as well. If you think your teen may have a problem with their body image, take the time to listen and watch. How does he/she talk about their body? Is it positive or are they always complaining about an attribute such as weight, breast size, facial features, or, as in the case of males, lack of body size? Who are their role models, and why? Who are their friends, and why? Or, with whom do they wish to be friends with? Have there been any radical changes in eating and exercising habits? Has there been any drastic and abrupt weight change? Has their personality changed? Answering ‘yes’ to these questions may be cause for alarm. It is time to really pay attention and monitor your teen’s behaviour, and if you are alarmed, a doctor should be contacted. Once a body image problem is apparent, it is important to help your teen to learn to celebrate their body; to remind them that beauty is unique in everyone. The old cliché “beauty comes from the inside” is the cornerstone of breaking out of the poor body image circle. Help your teen say positive things about themselves, complimenting attributes apart from their physical identity. Encourage them to have role models who are successful not because of their body image, but for their talents. Encourage them to partake in activities they were afraid of doing, especially those they think they are too overweight to accomplish. Teach them to eat responsibly and care for their body. Find a support group where your teen feels comfortable and safe to discuss their body issues. Being a teenager is a difficult and confusing time. Learning to be confident ‘in their own skin’ can be a monumental task. However, once confidence in themselves as a whole, worthwhile, and significant person has been established, the bombardment of media advertising and peer pressure for the ideal body will no longer have hold on your teenager’s life. Written by Debi Stagg, stay-at-home mom, mother to Donovan & Kyle, loving wife to Terry, dear sister to four other siblings & friend to all. Debi may be reached by email at staggcan@telusplanet.net |