Body Image

Most of us are unhappy with bits of our bodies. We constantly judge other people on theirs too. We all care how we look. And most of us have bits we’d like to change. No one checks the mirror and thinks: Yes. I am perfection.

The Body Shop once famously ran an ad campaign which said that there were only seven people in the world that actually looked like supermodels. And that the average size for women in this country was 14. We know this, yet we all, both men and women alike, strive to look younger and more attractive. The source of these unrealistic feelings is obvious: the TV and the media have for so long bombarded us with images of good looking, perfectly honed, young people, that, now, we all feel a pressure to fit in to look the same.

The result of this is that many of us end up with a distorted body perception, ie we do not see ourselves how others see us. For some, this can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating – conditions which are dramatically increasing in society and which require serious attention.

• 36% of women seriously consider plastic surgery cause they’re unhappy with the way they look
• 90% of women said their bodies made them feel down and they think about it
  everyday
• 50% of school girls say they are on a diet (Aug 2008 Top Sante/Telegraph survey)

A negative body image is not about vanity. It’s about insecurity and low self-esteem. And pictures of perfect celebs in every magazine don’t make things any better.

Below are links to census information on each of South Belfast Highway to Health’s target areas

• Lower Ormeau (Botanic Ward SOA 5) click here
• Sandy Row (Shaftsbury Ward SOA 2) click here
• Donegall Pass (Shaftsbury Ward SOA 2) click here
• The Markets (Shaftsbury Ward SOA 1) click here
• The Village (Blackstaff Ward) click here

Useful Websites

click here to take a body image test
www.thesite.org/bodyimageandselfesteem
www.ingenious.org.uk/
www.teenissues.co.uk
www.b-eat.co.uk
www.eatingdisordersni.com
www.eatingdisordersni.co.uk
www.eatingdisordersnetwork.com