Body Image Report - Parliament of Victoria

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CHAPTER TWO - THE DEVELOPMENT OF BODY IMAGE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE • a disrupted body image along with other feelings such as low self-esteem may be consequences of traumatic and violent experiences, such as sexual assault; • weight preoccupation, eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol misuse and compulsive exercise are consequences frequently associated with sexual assault; • a negative sense of self, including body image may be learned or confirmed through the experience of sexual assault; • behaviours that are assumed to be consistent with a negative sense of self, such as eating disorders and self harm may constitute a survival adaptation for a person who has been robbed of personal, bodily and sexual integrity, and safety through an act or repeated acts of sexual assault; • sexual assault may be experienced as absolute violation and overpowering of the self by another or others; and • sexual assault, may leave victim/survivors feeling powerless, take away their sense of control over themselves and their own lives, temporarily or longer term, partially or more completely. 85 Gender 2.52 Gender can be an important variable in understanding the risk factors related to body disturbances. While it is likely that the general types of risk factors discussed previously are similar across genders, the specific nature of these influences may differ for males and females. For example, both males and females are likely to be at risk if they live in an environment that devalues their particular body type. 27
INQUIRY INTO ISSUES RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BODY IMAGE AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE AND ASSOCIATED EFFECTS ON THEIR HEALTH AND WELLBEING However, the specific nature of the ideal body and the relative importance placed on that ideal are likely to vary. 2.53 Studies that have examined differences between individuals’ ratings of their actual body in comparison to their ideal size indicate that when dissatisfied with their current shape, the vast majority of females desire to be thinner. In contrast, when males are dissatisfied with their weight, more than half desire to gain weight, 86 particularly in the form of greater muscularity. 87 These differences are likely to derive from social and cultural ideals previously mentioned stressing different preferred body shapes for males and females. Sexual Orientation 2.54 An individual’s sexual orientation may also be a determinant in the development of body dissatisfaction. There is an assumption that the cultural emphasis on physical attractiveness amongst gay men causes greater pressure and anxiety and as a consequence body concerns than occurs in heterosexual men. The assumption is reversed in regard to gay women who place less emphasis on physical attractiveness. 88 Studies have largely supported these conjectures in men, with homosexual men reporting greater body and weight dissatisfaction. 89 In research comparing gay and heterosexual women results have been inconsistent, with some studies indicating no differences and others indicating lesbian women to be more accepting of higher weights or less concerned about body size. 90 28
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Body Image Report - Parliament of Victoria

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