Body Image & Eating Disorders (PDF)

8402 Cross Park Drive Austin, TX • 512-697-8600 • 800-373-2081 • austinrecovery.org Body Image & Eating Disorders Mary Secrest, LMSW, LCDC-I Dr. Beth Fowler  www.councilonrecovery.org What is Body Image?  www.councilonrecovery.org Body Image • How you see yourself when you look in the mirror or picture yourself in your mind • What you believe about: • Your appearance • How you think other people see you • How you feel about your body • Closely related to self-esteem  www.councilonrecovery.org What the Studies Show • In the US, 1 or 2 out of every 100 students will struggle with an eating disorder • Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful • In a study of over 1,200 10-17 year olds, 72%, said they felt tremendous pressure to be beautiful • 11% of girls around the world feel comfortable using the word beautiful to describe their looks • There is a universal increase in beauty pressure and a decrease in girls' confidence as they grow older  www.councilonrecovery.org What Influences Body Image?  www.councilonrecovery.org Influences on Body Image • Advertising • Social media • Parents • Friends/peers • Role models  www.councilonrecovery.org Media’s Effect on Body Image There is no single cause of body dissatisfaction or disordered eating. Yet, research is increasingly clear that media does indeed contribute. Additionally, exposure to and pressure by the media increases body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.  www.councilonrecovery.org Influence of Media Thin/muscular ideal The media promotes builds that are impossible and unhealthy for most people  www.councilonrecovery.org Did you know?  www.councilonrecovery.org Teens Today • 78% of teens have cell phones, almost half own smartphones • 1 in 4 are “cell-mostly” internet users • 23% of teens have a tablet • 81% use social networking sites • 8-18 year olds devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes to using entertainment media a day • 100% of EHS students have a laptop and access to the internet  www.councilonrecovery.org Dangers of Social Media What we know about teens: • Constantly trying to define self • Crave positive feedback to help them see how their identity fits into their world • Use social media for this feedback... but they are looking in a dangerous place How is this harmful: • Danger exists in the possibility of a very public rejection because negative feedback seen by everyone • Additionally, teens ask for feedback without first learning that not everyone will respond in a supportive way  www.councilonrecovery.org The Progression  www.councilonrecovery.org Girls Talk about Body Image  www.councilonrecovery.org Facts & Statistics • 95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25 • Between 5 & 10 million women in the U.S. currently suffer from eating disorders • Gear magazine reports that 1 in 6 cases of eating disorders diagnosed are in men • Approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and resort to dieting to achieve their ideal body shape • Only 5% of women naturally possess the body type often portrayed by Americans in the media  www.councilonrecovery.org Men & Eating Disorders • 4-10% of college aged men w/ eating disorders • Prevalence of binge eating is the same among men and women • Male body image concerns have dramatically increased over the past three decades from 15 to 43% of men being dissatisfied with their bodies • Men are often more concerned with a combination of issues related to weight, body shape, and strength • Men are less likely to seek help