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Information explaining body image
Body image refers to how you personally experience your embodiment more than a mental picture of what you look like.
Your body image consists of your personal relationship with your body. It can encompass your perceptions, beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and actions that pertain to your physical appearance.
Body image becomes a concerning issue when it affects an individual's health, mentality, physically, behavioural. The issue is not specific to gender, age, ethnicity, cultural, economical status.
We are constantly receiving image related message from different mediums, both within the media and our surrounding environments.
Social media platforms provide both negative and positive information to its users regarding body image.
- Visual representations of "desirable expectations of body image" on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube.
Both celebrities and causal users of these platforms to present what society views as beautiful. Dangerously these body types are usually unattainable. These sites can impair an individual's self worth creating both physical and mental health issues. These platform are not governed by any regulatory body.
Social media websites such as, Headspace, Kids Help Line, the Butterfly Foundation and apps Guided Mind, Body Love and Acceptance and an Instagram page called Already pretty all present extensive information and positive images.
Educational programs provided by the Australian government Health department through the Butterfly Foundation workshops present positive information.
Body image health issues are not gender specific. Mission Australia's youth survey 2019 identify 14.5% males have body image concerns.
Issues involving body image can be both long held cultural and religious beliefs. Journalist report employers regularly use of an applicants body image to decide on who they employ. Advertising companies often dictate what body image relates to their product and this influences employment decisions. Body shape, size, gender or color is less an issue at Bunnings compared to a late night bar which has a more narrow cliental.
Trying to attain a desired body image can effect a persons life-style balance. Obsession with diet and exercise can adversely impact on a person's life. Having a balanced life-style is very important. A balanced life-style positively impacts your health and influences how you relate to your body image. Having a balanced life-style exists between time and effort spent working, and time spent with home, family and personal pursuits. A balanced lifestyle is considered essential for optimum levels of the five health types, physical, emotional, social, spiritual, mental. People are cultivated to look at how their body image appears and compares to stunning, gorgeous tv stars, making people set high expectations about their own body image. People will tell themselves how they need to look to "fit-in" to a desired community.
Conflicting information from different sources can impact on how a person acquires their body image attitude. This can explain the impact of body image on an individual's health.