Body Consciousness Essay

For a big part of the female population, body consciousness is an issue in which girls think too much about their bodies. The worrying in return makes them think less of themselves. Even though body consciousness can be good if in a healthy way, an end needs to be put to the girl’s negative view on their bodies. Unhealthy body conscientious can lead to many negative actions. To combat this, we must 1.) look at what is causing the negativity in themselves (examples include Anorexia, Depression, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder) and 2.) think of ways to overcoming it (examples including fighting fatism, accepting your genetics, and befriending your body). Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities such as going to school, because …show more content…
Believers of this theory often suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder. People with BDD often worry about their appearance. ("Body Image", 2016) People with BDD think a lot about their perceived appearance flaw, generally for at least an hour a day. ("Body Image", 2016) They can not even control their negative thoughts and do not believe people who tell them they look fine.(“Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)", 2016) A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body weight, than how much she actually weighs.(“DoSomething.org", 2016) Among high school students 44% of girls are attempting to lose weight. ("DoSomething.org", 2016) Some people (specifically females) may diet because they think they’re supposed to look a certain way. ("KidsHealth - the Web 's most visited site about children 's health", 2016) A 1999 study from the American Dietetic Association even found that 55% of 7-12 year old girls said they want to be thinner. ("Well Many NormalWeight Teens Feel Fat Comments", 2016) This data also suggest that efforts to address unhealthy weight gain and obesity among young females have the potential for “collateral” damage in normal-weight kids, who may develop self-esteem problems. An accompanying editorial noted that adolescents are exposed to considerable social pressure to be thin. ("Well Many NormalWeight Teens Feel Fat Comments", 2016) …show more content…
Anorexia {nervosa} is a serious, potentially life threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.("Anorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association", 2016) Approximately 90-95% of anorexic sufferers are girls and women and is also one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses in young women. ("Anorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association", 2016) Anorexia typically appears in early to mid-adolescence and can affect your everyday life such as withdrawal from friends and social activities. ("Anorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association", 2016) Although it is not clear to the medical community just exactly how this complex eating disorders begins in teens, 4 underlying factors have stood out to them. They include genetic factors, life stressors, cultural expectations, and mental or behavioral disorders. (“Futures of Palm Beach", 2016) Whenever diagnosed the victim may experience more problems other than weight loss such as: losing a significant percentage of one’s normal weight, extreme, self-imposed dietary restrictions, and a self image that relies on weight and body size. ("Futures of Palm Beach", 2016) On that topic it is also believed that peer pressure and an ever increasing emphasis on today’s model society seem to play a real part in the development of anorexia {nervosa}. (“HealthStatus”, 2016) People suffering form anorexia, even when they are