What is Normal?
Q & A - Body Image & Teens

Body image is your personal view of your body. Your interpretations and feelings may not be the you others see, your reflection in the mirror, or the numbers on a tape measure or scales. It's a mixture of personal thoughts developed from a lifetime of events and impressions. Body image is described in Adolescence: Developing a Positive Body Image as, "a picture of the body, as seen through the mind's eye."

Why do 70% of normal weight girls in high school feel fat and say they are currently on a diet? A healthy body image goes hand-in-hand with self-confidence and feelings of self-worth. As preteens and teens are developing independence and personal identity, they are also able to understand most influences, positive and negative.

Practice with critical thinking skills about these influences, such as media, gender misperceptions, and societal and cultural pressures, gives them a chance to talk, think, and form new positive images.

Related sites and documents

 Body Image and the Media

 Self-Esteem - Dove Campaign for Real Beauty

 Girl Power - Swedish Government

 Your Teen Body

 Adolescence: Developing a Positive Body Image

  Fashionable Body: A Brief History [PDF]

BMI (body mass index) information was not included on the poster to encourage a focus on healthy lifestyle choices, not numbers. The teens on the poster have BMIs in the range of 18 to 26. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) Growth Charts translates these numbers from 45th to 92nd BMI-for-age percentiles. CDC defines these percentiles as "healthy" to "at risk for overweight".

BMI is a calculation used to categorize populations broadly for statistical purposes. Factors such as muscle mass, bone structure, and ethnicity can distort the relationship between BMI and an individual's fat composition.

When trying to predict the health of a child or teen or to conclude that they need to lose weight, it is essential to consider age, body composition, genetics, and the growth pattern from several BMI calculations taken at intervals, not just one measurement. A BMI measurement does not always present the whole picture; for example, a muscular teen with a higher body weight and less body fat can have the same BMI as a sedentary teen with a high body fat.

Related sites and documents

 BMI Calculator for Kids

 BMI Calculator for Teens

 BMI Reporting in Schools - U.C. Berkeley

 Normal Weight Gain in Children [PDF]

The first lesson on the What is Normal Poster addresses genetics and inherited body shapes. By understanding how genetics affects shape and size, teens can focus on issues they can affect such as, eating throughout the day instead of grazing or skipping meals, making healthy food choices most of the time, and planning for daily physical activity.

Normal teens, including the kids pictured on the poster, do come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. The messages that teens need to hear are 'You are OK just the way you are: tall, short, large, or small' and 'Your physical appearance is only one characteristic that defines you.' When teens and adults believe this, they are more likely to feel good about themselves and take control of being healthy.

Related sites and documents

 Health at Every Size

 Health Without Harm [PDF]

 Obesity Epidemic - Genomic Perspective [PDF]

Adults and peers have a powerful affect on who teens become. Encouraging teens to understand differences between people will send a message of tolerance. A recent study looked at the power that others have on shaping body image, physical abilities and body weight. Key points:

• Appreciate that teasing, criticism, or negative comments about a person's body and/or physical abilities can be deeply hurtful and the resulting negative view of one's body and/or physical abilities can last many years--even a lifetime.
• Some individuals cannot develop healthy lifestyle habits until they feel positive about their body and/or physical abilities.
• Help people establish personal ideals based on their own goals rather than on comparisons with others.

Related sites and documents

 Power of Others to Shape Identity [PDF]

 Power of Others: Recommendations - U of Wyoming [PDF]

When teens feel out of control, whether at home or school, some choose to focus on their food and/or exercise. This solution can give them control or perceived control over a portion of their lives. It can be a healthy solution for many teens but it can be a misused focus for others. Preoccupation with weight, food, physical activity, and body image may be an indicator of complex underlying issues./p>

Adults who work with teens can be a significant help to parents and teens with disordered body images by learning the indicators of potential problems. Be aware that the indicators for disordered eating and physical activity are different for girls and boys and between different ethnic groups, i.e., outward signs, words used to describe dissatisfaction, and actual actions.

Related sites and documents

 My friend may have an eating disorder [PDF]

 Gender, ethnic differences may hamper eating disorders diagnosis [PDF]

 Disordered Eating: Childhood’s Hidden Epidemic [PDF]