My Writing

By Wilson O.

A cross-sectional study of 5147 children conducted by Professor Lauren Whetstone, Research Associate Susan Morrissey and Professor Doyle Cummings, all of the School of Medicine at East Carolina University, confirmed that, even in the middle school age group, overweight children with a body image obsession were more likely to have suicidal thoughts than other children who perceived themselves to be underweight or overweight. Of particular concern was the finding that middle school females reported suicidal thinking and behavior more often than did males (Whetstone, Morrissey, & Cummings, 2007).

The study also established that the relation between race and weight status was not significantly associated with suicidal thoughts and actions. This hypothesis was, however, proven false when a study was conducted amongst obese black and white adult women. Generally, unlike their white counterparts, black women are satisfied with their larger size and do not apologize for it. Some studies suggest that African American women perceive their larger body size as more appealing and receive less social pressure to be slim, which could reduce motivation to lose weight. Comments such as “My husband say[s] ‘you don’t need to lose that weight’”, and “Skinny people look unhealthy and obese people don’t” are fairly common among obese black women. It is worth noting that apparel companies have been slow to develop clothing for obese black women and to target these women as a market. As a result, obese black women have to special order clothes and pay extra to alter them for a custom fit.

Perhaps the reason why white women are more obsessed with the thin ideal is because the trend towards marketing products is directed at white females more than at any other racial or ethnic group. A prime example is the Barbie doll. These dolls have been widely criticized for portraying an unrealistic body image: If Barbie were a real woman she would have blonde hair, a 39-inch bust, a 19-inch waist and 33-inch hips. If Barbie’s body dimensions are reflections of what society considers ideal, then girls who do not meet that ideal may perceive themselves as failures and feel undervalued. Contrary to the Barbie slogan, “Be who you wanna be”, it may be the ultimate message these girls receive is that their utmost desire should be to grow up to look pretty and go to the beach.

Sub-Saharan African men are often drawn to well-endowed women because, in their cultures, that is often the ideal of beauty. Voluptuous women were traditionally considered healthy and fertile in these cultures. Being “large” also meant that a woman had the potential to be a good provider because it was she who planted and harvested the food for the family. The traditional African woman was a hard worker; she toiled in the fields for hours, sold produce in the market and took care of the young and old. The physicality of these daily activities contributed to African women’s healthy physiques.

Scores of studies teach us about the impact of body image dissatisfaction on children. The outcomes range from depression to suicidal thoughts. As these studies show, children are vulnerable to body image dissatisfaction at an early age; hence it is vital for parents, and not the media and toy industries, to be positive role models. Children should be encouraged to pursue a variety of activities, especially during their leisure time. They should also be encouraged to develop healthy eating and exercise habits that do not border on severe dieting and over-exercising. Another way to offset future perceptions of negative body image would be for parents to control the TV content their children are exposed to at home by utilizing V-chip technology. In addition, watching TV programs with their children and commenting on the content’s meaning would reduce the likelihood of the children acting out inappropriate scenes and acquiring unrealistic body image perceptions. It should be made clear to the children that they will be unconditionally loved and successful in their lives, no matter how much they weigh or what they look like.

References

Whetstone, L., et al. (2007, February). Children at Risk: The Association Between Perceived Weight Status and Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts in Middle School Youth. Journal of School Health, 77(2), 59 – 66.

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