Kids are growing up in a society that is obsessive over
personal image. Concerns with body images are starting at an earlier age. While
their emotional states are still in its adolescence, there is a prevalence of concerns
with body image, working out, makeup, and weight loss in young children. This
is a link to a documentary called Skinny Kids, which talks about these issues
as well as eating disorders that are affecting kids from ages 7 to 14. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsD1Fpup3vc
This documentary shows that these concerns with body image
are starting to develop earlier, not just in teenagers and young adults. It
highlights the influence of the media, magazines and celebrities on children
and how their parents, particularly mothers, have an influence. Some mothers
even encourage this type of behavior without realizing the immediate and long
term effects. Their role models are usually female celebrities and they see
pictures of these skinny, beautiful, successful women and they strike to attain
that media-projected image. Young children idolize adults and they strive to be
like them, putting on makeup and working out. Children’s stereotypes of body
image, they reflect adult’s views, but are more polarized. They associate
people who are thin as successful, good-looking, and popular, while people who
are fat are associated with negative characteristics, such as lazy, unpopular,
and ugly. These ideologies children adopt from their parents, peers, and the
media fosters this obsession with a perfect body from a very early age. It is
vital to address these issues and change these influences or the epidemic of
excessive dieting and exercising will continue to negatively impact the younger
generations, causing severe problems for years to come.
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