Body Image Influence Our Life

Body image influence our life

The feelings which of mine about the way we look, and feelings about how others think about our looks, that is what we say “body image”. Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. It has negative and positive influence to our life. I will introduce these two parts in my article.

A negative body image develops when someone feels her or his body does not measure up to family, social, or media ideals. Many people feel as if they don’t measure up, especially when they measure themselves against the standards of beauty commonly seen in the media. Images of female bodies are everywhere, popular film and television actresses are becoming younger, taller and thinner. Women’s magazines are full of articles urging that if you can just lose those last twenty pounds, you will have it all: the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career. [1]

The effects of exposure to these images go beyond influencing girls to buy diet and beauty products. Research links exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies to depression, loss of self-esteem and unhealthy eating habits in girls and young women: in one study half of girls ages 16-21 said they would undergo surgery to improve their bodies. [2] Poor body image may have even more serious consequences as well: a 2009 study found that girls who were unhappy with their bodies – whether they were genuinely overweight or not – were significantly more at risk for attempting suicide. [3]

You do not have to be thin or tall or have any other specific physical traits to have a positive body image. It does not matter what you look like from the outside. Having a positive body image is about how you feel about the way you look. Having a positive body image also means that you see yourself as you really are. Many people with a positive body image know that certain parts of their body may not be the same as someone else’s, but they accept, appreciate, and even love the differences.

Advertising, particularly for fashion and cosmetics, has a powerful effect on how we see ourselves and how we think we should look. Women’s magazines in particular have a tremendous influence on body image, with researchers reporting that teenage girls rely heavily on them for information on beauty and fashion [4], valuing their advice nearly as highly as that of their peers. [5]