Body Image Report - Parliament of Victoria

INQUIRY INTO ISSUES RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BODY IMAGE AMONG
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ASSOCIATED EFFECTS ON THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING
and physical development, recent research has indicated that body
image formation begins at much younger age, even as young as 4 and
5 years of age. 3 This was confirmed by research conducted by
Professor Marita McCabe
Preschool children are aware of the ideal body for their gender.
The socio-cultural influences — that is, mums, friends and
particularly the media — play a strong role in this. By late
childhood for girls and by early adolescence for boys there is an
association between body dissatisfaction and high levels of
negative affect or depression and low levels of self-esteem. So
the boys are a bit later in learning that association, but they are
learning it, and the girls are already learning it in late childhood. 4
2.4 A range of factors influence the development of body image,
though the common denominator is the thin body ideal. Western
socio-cultural standards of attractiveness for women and men equate
thinness with beauty, and this is perpetuated through the mass media
and may reinforce peer and family expectations of physical
appearance. 5 Body image dissatisfaction is not, however, an automatic
outcome for contemporary children and adolescents. Higher selfesteem
and resilience protects against body dissatisfaction, as does
the ability to interpret media messages about physical attractiveness
and weight. Children and adolescents who receive positive and
supportive feedback from peers and families about their health and
appearance are less likely to develop body image dissatisfaction, as
are those who are physically active. 6
2.5 Body image dissatisfaction compromises physical and mental
health. It leads to unnecessary and dangerous attempts to change
body weight and shape. In girls and women, this often takes the form
of a preoccupation with size and weight while in males the
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