Point of View

Body anxiety is something that even the most seemingly confident of people can fall victim to. In fact, a recent study carried about by CAR (the Centre for Appearance Research) revealed that 90% of British adult women suffer from body anxiety. It was also reported that body anxiety is rapidly on the rise among men too, with one in four men saying that it stops them going to the gym in fear of what people think. Whilst it’s completely natural to look at our flaws, compare ourselves to others and want to change something about our body and appearance, the fact that we accept that this as normal or inevitable is fairly alarming.

And what is even more worrying is that body anxiety is affecting children as young as seven. The younger generation is constantly exposed to the emphasis that society and the media places on appearance so it’s no surprise that children are becoming increasingly aware of and dissatisfied with how they look. The media is full of how ‘fantastic or awful so and so looked’ at the latest premiere, how much weight they have lost or gained, or what diet/fitness regime they’re following. Not to mention all of the makeover TV shows delivering the message than self-confidence only comes from looking good. It’s relentless, and whilst as adults can consciously choose how we absorb and process this information, for children that becomes all that they know. Instead of striving to be like someone because of their qualities, talents or achievements, ‘role models’ are now labelled as such because of how they look.

Then there’s the highly sensitive debate surrounding how images of size zero models and celebrities contribute to body anxiety. Images such as these are also blamed for triggering eating disorders, which is another discussion entirely and can’t be automatically grouped with body anxiety. However, our attitude towards food has greatly swayed from the simple fact that food is fuel. So many women seem to be on some sort of diet, but the emphasis is far more about being selective about what we eat in order to look a certain way as opposed to using food for its most simple purpose – to enable our body to function.

On a similar topic to the size zero debate, airbrushed or Photoshopped images certainly don’t do anything to help the way we have become obsessed with the quest for aesthetic perfection. But once again, it is children who are far more susceptible. As adults, we know it’s advertising - images in magazines are supposed to look polished and pretty. Children and even teens don’t have that knowledge because they’ve grown up with it and are exposed to it every day. And this can lead to younger people feeling that their so-called ‘imperfect’ bodies are not ok.

We live in a time where we’re told we can be anything we want to be. Anything is possible – the career, the big bank account, the status, the perfect body. Anxiety in general is at an all-time high because there is so much pressure to achieve. And the suggestion that a perfect appearance can be used as a tool to get what we want is ever present. Cosmetic surgery is readily available and there’s always a new fitness craze to get the body we’ve always dreamed of. Perhaps we need to take a step back from this superficial attitude? The consequences of body anxiety can be devastating and surely the media needs to take more responsibility in putting out a different message by implementing stricter guidelines. But more importantly, we have to take responsibility closer to home - as parents, teachers and carers and we need to be more aware and sensitive to the causes and serious consequences of body anxiety.