Oration Outline
Introduction
You see it everyday- “perfect” bodies on the covers of magazines in the checkout aisles of Walmart, Barbie dolls and Disney princesses with waists the size of twigs, beautiful actors and actresses hand-picked for the star roles in movies, and photoshopped pictures of models popping up all over social media websites. From the day we are born we are taught to idolize these so called “perfect” people. We want to grow up to look and act just like them. I’m sure many of you remember growing up watching your parents look unhappily in the mirror at the face looking back at them, or listening to your mom go on for hours about the new diet she is trying and how her new jeans make her back side look too big. All of these …show more content…
For adolescents with poor body image due to weight, substance use may be a weight control strategy. From a study conducted on high school students, 18% of girls and 10% of boys reported smoking cigarettes in the last year to lose or control their weight. Individuals with high levels of body dissatisfaction and a strong drive for thinness are more likely to report cigarette use and binge drinking. People with poor body image may also turn to substance use as an escape from their feelings of low self-worth and depression. Research suggests that nearly half of individuals with an eating disorder are also abusing drugs and/or alcohol, a rate 5 times greater than what is seen in the general population. The co-occurrence of these disorders affects both men and women with up to 57% of males with eating disorders experiencing lifelong substance abuse problems. Eating disorders and substance abuse are independently correlated with higher expected rates of death both from medical complications as well as suicides. Individuals with eating disorders abuse caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin and over-the counter medications such as diuretics, emetics or laxatives to suppress appetite, increase metabolism and purge themselves. For these people, the high is never high enough, the scale is never low enough, and the image in the mirror is never good …show more content…
First of all, talk back to the media. We can choose to use a filter that helps us to understand what an advertiser wants us to believe and then choose whether we want to believe that message. De-emphasize numbers. Neither weight nor body mass index tell us anything substantial about body composition and health. Stay off the scale. It’s really hard to cultivate an attitude of body acceptance and trust when you are basically climbing on the scale to ask if it’s OK to feel good about yourself that day. Realize that you cannot change your body type: lightly muscles, bulky, or rounded you need to appreciate your body and love who you are. Spend time with people who have a healthy relationship with food, activity, and their bodies. It will make a difference in how you feel about these issues- and yourself. Practice thought-stopping when it comes to negative statements about yourself. And lastly, recognize that size prejudice is a form of discrimination similar to other forms of discrimination. Assumptions that shape and size are indicators of character, morality, intelligence, or success are incorrect and unjust. Celebrate people you know who fly in the face of these
Introduction
You see it everyday- “perfect” bodies on the covers of magazines in the checkout aisles of Walmart, Barbie dolls and Disney princesses with waists the size of twigs, beautiful actors and actresses hand-picked for the star roles in movies, and photoshopped pictures of models popping up all over social media websites. From the day we are born we are taught to idolize these so called “perfect” people. We want to grow up to look and act just like them. I’m sure many of you remember growing up watching your parents look unhappily in the mirror at the face looking back at them, or listening to your mom go on for hours about the new diet she is trying and how her new jeans make her back side look too big. All of these …show more content…
For adolescents with poor body image due to weight, substance use may be a weight control strategy. From a study conducted on high school students, 18% of girls and 10% of boys reported smoking cigarettes in the last year to lose or control their weight. Individuals with high levels of body dissatisfaction and a strong drive for thinness are more likely to report cigarette use and binge drinking. People with poor body image may also turn to substance use as an escape from their feelings of low self-worth and depression. Research suggests that nearly half of individuals with an eating disorder are also abusing drugs and/or alcohol, a rate 5 times greater than what is seen in the general population. The co-occurrence of these disorders affects both men and women with up to 57% of males with eating disorders experiencing lifelong substance abuse problems. Eating disorders and substance abuse are independently correlated with higher expected rates of death both from medical complications as well as suicides. Individuals with eating disorders abuse caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin and over-the counter medications such as diuretics, emetics or laxatives to suppress appetite, increase metabolism and purge themselves. For these people, the high is never high enough, the scale is never low enough, and the image in the mirror is never good …show more content…
First of all, talk back to the media. We can choose to use a filter that helps us to understand what an advertiser wants us to believe and then choose whether we want to believe that message. De-emphasize numbers. Neither weight nor body mass index tell us anything substantial about body composition and health. Stay off the scale. It’s really hard to cultivate an attitude of body acceptance and trust when you are basically climbing on the scale to ask if it’s OK to feel good about yourself that day. Realize that you cannot change your body type: lightly muscles, bulky, or rounded you need to appreciate your body and love who you are. Spend time with people who have a healthy relationship with food, activity, and their bodies. It will make a difference in how you feel about these issues- and yourself. Practice thought-stopping when it comes to negative statements about yourself. And lastly, recognize that size prejudice is a form of discrimination similar to other forms of discrimination. Assumptions that shape and size are indicators of character, morality, intelligence, or success are incorrect and unjust. Celebrate people you know who fly in the face of these