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As early exposure to themes of sex becomes the norm, children of younger ages are expressing discontent with their physical appearance. Results from a recent survey suggest that children rank body image among the highest of their concerns, above both self-confidence and social life. Recent research also suggests that nearly 50 percent of females between ages 11 and 16 would consider cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance.
These findings have striking implications about the factors comprising young children's self-image and esteem. Eating disorders are now presenting in children as young as 6 years old, with dieting becoming more common among those under the age of 10.
8 hours ago (2:37 PM)
I suppose it goes without saying that you spell her name Geena Davis. I personally want to recognize her PHENOMENAL and tireless work to bring equality for females into film and TV, which in the end serves both females and males- as well as our society and world at large. From my point of view as someone in the ‘audience’ and in the industry, film and TV is the best platform for this greater influence and global change.
06:50 PM on 8/02/2011
Barbie is too bloody explicitly sexy and is promoting "hunt for sugar daddy" mentality.
10:45 AM on 8/02/2011
No it’s not, the standard of beauty is to be like explicitly sexy, not like Barbie.
09:58 AM on 8/02/2011
This is what happens in a country in which the ideal of female beauty is still Barbie.
10:45 AM on 8/02/2011
Stop having people in their twenties playing children or teens on children’s television shows.
11:12 AM on 8/02/2011
Peggy Orenstein, author of Cinderella Ate my Daughter, and Diane Levin, author of So Sexy, So Soon, engaged in a wonderful discussion about girls and their self-image on Body, Mind and Child, on the BAM Radio Network. They stressed the importance of talking to girls about something other than appearance! Definitely worth a listen. You can hear it at http://www.bamradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=673:how-we-teacher-girls-to-have-unhealthy-self-image&catid=35:jackstreet54&Itemid=89.
01:51 PM on 8/02/2011
Yep, we all need to spend more time on kids minds and less praise of how they look
11:59 AM on 8/02/2011
Its also a teaching problem. A kindergarten teacher told my niece she was pretty one day when she wore a dress. She always wanted to wear dresses after that.
11:35 AM on 8/02/2011
A visit to the nearest elementary school shows how this starts. When children who are 5-12 years old go to school they should be dressed in a pair of jeans and a tshirt/sweatshirt period. Let them be kids before they are boys/girls. But parents (mostly mothers) dress up their little sweethearts in outfits that aren’t designed for the playground, I’ve seen kindergarden girls sent to school in frilly little dresses. This is not a media problem, it’s a parenting problem.
11:54 AM on 8/02/2011
One way to eliminate a large factor in sexualization of children (specifically girls) is for society to stop producing/tolerating immature and socially stunted parents (particularly mothers) who insist on living vicariously through their daughters by involving them in these "Toddlers and Tiaras"-type beauty pageants.
The question that seems to always be asked is "Where are the parents?"
Here’s where they are: The mothers dress the girls up in provocative outfits that they consider "cute" and see nothing wrong with this sort of activity because their little girls are just playing "dress-up."
The fathers (if they are not complicit in the the whole process) are too henpecked or afraid to challenge the mothers because of the $hitstorm they would receive for denying the mothers their "fun."
These pageants are far worse and cause much greater damage to the children’s psyche than we are willing to admit.
We have a seriously ƒu¢ked up set of priorities and morals.
11:57 AM on 8/02/2011
"The more hours of television a girl watches the fewer options she believes she has in life" applies to all kids, not just girls. How can kids learn for themselves, find out what they’re good at and what they enjoy if they’re always glued to a TV?
12:01 PM on 8/02/2011
Whatever the solution is, it’s cultural not legal.
The answer is not more laws.
12:22 PM on 8/02/2011
Thanks for writing on this topic. Sexualizing young girls isn’t just "cute"; it’s dangerous. I’m excited to learn about the work that Gina Davis is doing!
01:09 PM on 8/02/2011
And what kids don’t understand is those teeny tiny women inall those ads, have not
just been photoshopped but their BONES sticking out have been magicallly airbrushed
out too.We always hear years later these same models/ actresses spill the truth about what
goes on behind the "Hollywood facade".
06:31 PM on 8/02/2011
I think a lot of it has to do with the cultural "story" we’re given via all these wonderful methods of communication we have; you’re either anorexic or obese. The page dealing with everything in between has been torn out of the book. It is any wonder people are confused? They’re missing the most important part of the story.
01:56 PM on 8/02/2011
Just this morning I was eating breakfast at IHOP and in a booth across from me was a teen couple. The guy was eating a huge breakfast and the girl ate nothing. In an adjoining booth there was a family – man, woman, and two teens – one boy, one girl. The guys ate a lot and I only saw the mother and daughter take a few bites. The mother was extremely thin and looked like she was was probably very athletic, perhaps a runner. As a woman myself, I can’t understand the obsession with the body so many women have. I have never had that obsession and sometimes feel a bit out of the loop because I don’t. Oh, I like looking nice, but always have been short and a bit heavier than the norm, sure, I’d like to be thinner, but will not risk my health for something that is not that important to me. I’ve been married for 43 yrs. have two grown children and three grandchildren, so feel I have the important things in life and body obsession isn’t one I need.
02:09 PM on 8/02/2011
exactly….the eating disorders,
pretty. = thin.
i could write a book about it.
my sister died because of anerxia nervousa.
she kept a notebook. …..she was a twin, and that sister also suffered from it.
it tore my family apart. me too, in many ways.
i understand it. as much as i ……hate it.
2 hours ago (4:33 AM)
Funny, I figured kids were feeling horrible about body image because people like you tell them their "massively obese" bodies are "horrible." If we taught kids the truth, that ALL bodies are GOOD bodies, maybe self esteem would rise and bullying/suicide would decline.
When I was 16 I bought my first box of Dexatrim, because I was tired of my Dad lecturing me about my "heart health" (aka muffin top and touching thighs.) I was applauded for "taking extreme measures to get my health under control." Oh, the tragic irony.
07:51 PM on 8/02/2011
Obesity is not exclusively due to inactivity and/or overconsumption — these are simplistic cause and effect concepts that never pan out in the research.
Sleep deprivation is a player. Pre-schoolers need 12-15 hours of sleep, yet regularly get 9.5 hours (naps included) in a recent US-based study, and sleep deprivation is a serious problem for school-aged kids as well.
We also have to burn energy to eat. Ultra-processed foods require less energy to eat. That means a 700 calorie MacDonald’s burger may mean you get more net energy in than from the 700 calories of a home-cooked meal.
Despite all the fear-mongering, the number of children who are "massively obese" or morbidly obese is 4%.
A third of the youth population is obese (above BMI 30) in the US — why isn’t it either much, much higher or much, much lower? If poverty is a major influencer for consuming ultra-processed foods, then obesity rates should be 18% in Louisiana and not 34%. If inactivity is a major influencer then 43% of all boys and 52% of all girls should be obese (not enrolled in any P.E. program watching 3+hours TV daily).
Don’t confuse correlation with causation. Inactivity and overconsumption are likely two of many environmental inputs influencing obesity rates. But sending your kid outside to play and making sure they don’t stuff their faces is likely just a recipe for ensuring failure and a subsequent miserable impact on self-worth.
07:24 PM on 8/02/2011
What part of people die of anorexia and it is a serious problem is too hard to understand?
02:17 PM on 8/02/2011
Kids in the USA have a serious eating disorder alright, its called eating TOO MUCH! No one see’s a direct correlation between kids feeling horrible about body image because they actually DO have horrible bodies that are massively obese? Its much easier to blame the media for sexing up the youth then saying hey, kick your kid OUT off the TV for a while and go play outside, and don’t stuff their faces with refined, processed, fat laden food.
05:51 PM on 8/02/2011
Thank you for adding male support to this dialogue!
02:59 PM on 8/02/2011
Well written Colleen. Keep up this excellent work.
04:14 PM on 8/02/2011
I believe it. I watched a LOT of TV as a kid and eventually fell into a long term relationship with a man who constantly reminded me that I was really only worth his time if I appeared or acted sexy. When my life got busier and I had less time to sit in front of the tube, I gradually began to realize how destructive he was to my self esteem. Not to say there weren’t a bunch of other factors, but I recall the appeal of the relationship started to dissolve around that time.
03:10 AM on 8/03/2011
I have no doubt you’re be an exceptional mother Kimberly, in a very literal sense, an exception to the rule.
10:05 PM on 8/02/2011
"Orwell had it right, kinda, but instead of big-brother watching us, we’re watching big-brother, and the message he’s instilling is conformity, unachievable desire, vanity, conflict and an obsession with competition over cooperation."
This whole post, but this sentence in particular, sent shivers down my spine. Terrifyingly correct. I’ve considered for years not letting any children I may have in the future watch television, because of the television being directed at kids nowadays, and the sad fact that though my parents did a much better job raising me than many other parents do, I still think I was raised by the television at least 50% of the time. I’d keep a television and a DVD player around for programs such as "Planet Earth" and "Human Planet" and other such educational programs, but pretty much anything from the newer version of the Disney channel and Nickelodeon, these petty dramas starring kids like Miley Cyrus and shows like "Degrassi" and whatnot — I would do everything in my power to make sure programs like those never met my child’s eyes.
04:49 PM on 8/02/2011
Just about every topic I find interesting, every societal problem we face, boils down eventually to capitalism and greed.
In this case, it’s obvious that inadequate parenting is rampant, but the reason this problem is systemic and cyclical is because the parents themselves were conditioned and programmed via the the same apathetic omni-present box that now informs their children.
Orwell had it right, kinda, but instead of big-brother watching us, we’re watching big-brother, and the message he’s instilling is conformity, unachievable desire, vanity, conflict and an obsession with competition over cooperation.
We’re to plug into the hive-mind and obsessively compete for wealth, beauty, status, and a host of other shallow human vices, while disregarding empathy, personal empowerment, love, and the better nature of basic humanity as weakness.
Competition and conflict, cutting to the core of the worst in humanity, the lizard brain, the sexually motivated brain, the lowest common denominator, fight or flight, win or lose, piped into every home in America 24/7 – and its sole motivation is the bottom line, the almighty buck, regardless of the damage done.
03:52 PM on 8/02/2011
I absolutely agree that EDs have nothing to do with food and everything to do with body image. GIrls use food deprivation as a form of ‘control’, as they feel that it’s the only thing they can control in their lives. The point I’m making is, participating in sports has been proven to instill good self esteem and body image from a young age and beyond and decrese the risk of future EDs
http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/sports/girls_sports.html
Now of course, nothing is foolproof and girls can develop EDs no matter what, especially in super competitive fields. For me, unless the child is pursuing sports as a serious interest, then it should be more relaxed and focused on ‘team building’ and healthy excercise, rather than "overtraining" and "over-competition", or a sport that is only on looks (dancing, cheerleading, ballet..) It’s up to the parents to gage how their child is reacting to the activities. If parens educate themselves, they can learn to pick up on the early warning signs and be proactive.
03:30 PM on 8/02/2011
There is, indeed, something empowering for girls about sports. However, I would caution parents whose daughters are "into" sports to still be on the lookout for signs of an eating disorder. Our daughter was 12 years old and playing Varsity Soccer when her anorexia "arrived". She felt the need to compete with girls who much older, and "overtrained".
Eating Disorders, while they appear to have everything to do with food, actually have very little to do with actual FOOD. These disorders are psychiatric and are the leading cause of death in all psychiatric disorders. Also, in the US 1 in 4 reported cases of eating disorders is reported to be a MALE. The fastest growing group of women with Eating Disorders? Those in their 40s!
So, as a parent, if you suspect or are worried, contact your doctor. Better yet, educate yourself now by visiting the NEDA web site http://www.edap.org!
09:30 AM on 8/02/2011
I think the best thing for young girls is getting into sports. It helps build moral and confidence, helps you become a teamplayer and helps keep the focus on having a body that is strong ang healthy, not emaciated and ‘hungry’, like the anorexic models we are inundated with. It also helps release hormonal stress and balances out the weight gain that is onset by puberty and when girls start to really become ‘self-aware’ and self conscious of their bodies. If they always keep active, they won’t have to freak out or worry as much that their body is changing and resort to drastic measures.
Above all, girls emulate their mothers. If they see their mother constantly dieting and saying things like "I need to diet"& "Doesn’t mommy look good in her dress? She lost 5lbs", then girls will be taught to make the connection of beauty=weight loss.