While studying for my comps, I came across this journal article I saved in the first semester of my doctorate. My assisgnment was to write a paper on the way I viewed my body and the factors that impacted my body image. Body image issues or dismorphia (obsession with "perceived body defects e.g. Michael Jackson) is very prevalent amongst women and a growing issue with men. I think it is good to take a moment and answer these questions and figure out if you may have body image issues that are preventing you from being holistically happy. Body image issues affect your dress, behavior, personality and assertiveness in pursuing opportunities in professional, personal, and social settings.
Questions to Consider Regarding Body Image:
1. Am I dissatisfied with my body size and shape?
2. Do I talk about my unhappiness with my body? Whom do I talk to, and who might overhear what I have to say?
3. Am I always on a diet or going on a diet? Who knows when I’m on a diet and how do they know?
4. Do I express guilt when I eat certain foods, or do I refuse to eat certain foods while commenting that I am dieting to lose weight?
5. Do I make negative comments about other people’s sizes and shapes? Do I feel superior to them because I think my body is better than theirs?
6. Am I prejudiced against overweight children and adults? Do I avoid making friends with overweight people? Am I embarrassed to be seen in public with overweight people?
For Teachers:
1. As a teacher do I tend to pay less attention to overweight children in my classroom?
2. Have I ever been surprised when such a child, who I thought was not very bright, got a high grade on a standardized test?
3. Has a parent ever complained that I was treating an overweight child unfairly in some way?
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Click the video below to learn about BDD: Body Dismorphia Disorder:
Keep in mind that the following questions could be extended to other body issues such as race, gender, and ability.
Source: Reproduced from Ikeda J. & Naworski, P. (1992). Am I Fat? Helping Young Children Accept Differences in Body Size. Santa Cruz, CA: ETR Associates.
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