People with higher socio-economic status are more likely to be healthy because they are wealthy enough to consistently buy healthier (yet more expensive) food options. Therefor people living with a lower socio-economic status are less likely to be as healthy, more likely to be overweight and as a result are at a higher risk of diseases such as diabetes. .
2.3 The Media and Body Image.
The media also plays a very large role in the development of body image in the minds of adolescents. More so than ever today's young men are saturated in the image of the media's perfect "Adonis" like body. Magazines, TV, the internet, video games, entertainment, wherever you look you see people who are incredibly aesthetic. What most youths don't realise these days is that the majority of people look nothing like that; however their expectations of a good body are raised ridiculously high. The fact is that nearly all celebrities, magazine models, and most other media folk are digitally enhanced to look much better than they actually are. This makes the perfect body impossible and completely unobtainable. When a boy see's these things in the media and says "I want to big" 25 years down the track, a professional bodybuilder and bigger than most even in the media he is still saying the same thing. His goal is to get big, not a specific size so the cycle never ends. Similar never ending obsessions are apparent in people with anorexia and bulimia nervosa.
3.0 Strategy- Body Image Awareness Campaign.
A strategy that would drastically improve the body image of young males would be a government funded ad and online campaign for people with low self-esteem and other health issues as a result of poor body image. Uses the principles of the Social Justice Framework diversity, equity and supportive environments to help the majority of male teens who are struggling with body image issues. It would offer culture friendly, informative and multi-lingual websites to appeal to the majority of Australians, to address equity.
