The women and men on the covers represent about .03 percent of the population. The other 99.97% don't have a chance to compete, much less measure up. .
Western society places a high value upon appearance. Self-worth is enhanced for those who are judged attractive. Those who are deemed unattractive can feel at a disadvantage. The message from the media, fashion and our peers can create a longing, a longing to win the approval of our culture and fit in at any cost. That can be disastrous to our self-esteem. Parents can give mixed messages too, especially if they are constantly dieting or have body or food issues of their own. How we perceive and internalize these childhood messages about our bodies determines our ability to build self-esteem and confidence in our appearance. .
The diet/fitness craze is mind-boggling. It is not just dieting, it is diet foods, and diet commercials. Everybody's counting fat grams. Listen to the conversation in the lunchroom, locker room or on the bus to school. The talk centers around dieting, fat thighs or tight "abs" and how many pounds can be lost with the latest diet. This kind of intense focus on food and fat can lead to abnormal eating habits or disordered eating, a precursor to eating disorders, which is taking it to the extreme. .
So what we have here are children exposed to such a strict body image that health problems are taking over. First we have anorexia and bulimia, which are become more and more common at a fast rate. Children are developing this problem as young as the age of eight and nine. To think of a little girl or boy hurting themselves, consciously at that young of an age is very hard to understand. Next there is BDD. People with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) worry about their appearance. They worry, for example, that their skin is scarred, their hair is thinning, their nose is too big, or something else is wrong with how they look. When others tell them that they look fine or that the flaw they perceive is minimal, people with this disorder find it hard to believe this reassurance.
