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Your Space – “Body Image”

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Fashion: something that will always change. It originated with bigger men/women being well covered to today’s standard of defined muscles and low body fat. The ideal body is not natural for the population of earth.

Style: Since the beginning of our lives we have been influenced by the media on how to dress and how to act. It’s become an overruling factor in day to day life.

What Body Image Should Be:  every human body is a beautiful thing. It doesn’t matter how they dress or the number on the scale, every human body is the most beautiful thing, worthy of respect, love and dignity.  People should not base themselves on others ideals.

High School: high school is a very judgemental environment. Desires are just starting to become intense and choices are made. Being put down has a huge effect on people and the simply need to have friends to re encourage them that they are beautiful for being who they are.

Family & Friends: a friend or family member can be a huge cause of this grief simply because in their own way they are trying to encourage you but it can be putting you down in the worst way.

What Can You Do?: set boundaries, educate others about it and simply inform them on how it makes you feel.

Smoking: the media shows it to us as stylish but it has so many negative effects. It represents an ideal model but the fact is smoking can cause health issues and actually increases fat.

Steroids/Herbal Pills/Protein Powders: for so many people drugs and supplements are ideal ways to increase mass and obtain the perfect body. The side effects are so harmful such as pains and aches, less potent reproductive glands, and depression. They do not solve the problem, only supplement a temporary fix but do not work in the long term.

Anorexia/Bulimia/Eating Disorders: caused by being upset with ones appearance or the delusion of an unattractive body. Causes people to harm their bodies by starvation, forced vomiting, and over exercising hurting one’s self.

Often people who are unsatisfied with themselves see themselves as mush larger than they really are.

What most people consider as improving their body actually hurts it far more.

FIGHT BACK!:

Enjoy your body and feel good doing it.

Encourage yourself.

Challenge media image.

Challenge others body phobic comments.

Love yourself.

Stop weighing yourself.

Speak out against discrimination.

 

Song to support this article: Courage by Superchick.

Submitted by Denver (Peer Supporter)

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