Body Confident Kids – Part 2

Last week I wrote about how educators and parents can encourage students to have positive body image. This post was inspired by a presentation from clinical psychologists Dr Louise George and Ariana Elias from Raising Body Confident Kids. Their presentation addressed critical skills and tools to prevent body dissatisfaction in children and the development of positive body image.

Confidence and positive self esteem promote a healthy sense of identity. Therefore the more children know about themselves and their personal characteristics the more confident they are in their identify. Children with positive body image have higher self esteem. In my last post I outlined out media and social networking literacy are key skills to enable students to have a critical mind towards the cultural ideal of beauty. In this post I discuss assisting children as they navigate puberty and a sense of identity.

Puberty

Puberty changes are normal, but occur at time where adolescents are trying to fit in. Some puberty changes for girls such as increase in weight particularly on the hips and thighs, take them away from the cultural ideal of unnatural slimness. Normal puberty changes for boys such as developing muscle and growing taller, take them closer to the social ideal. Some ideas to support children as they grapple with puberty changes and body image include:

• Be informed and discuss puberty changes with children
• Feel confident that these changes are normal
• Guide children in how to best look after themselves, but don’t emphasise weight
• Be patience, empathetic, supportive and communicative
• Maintain respect for modesty and privacy
• Take appearance concerns seriously, but constantly remind children of non-appearance related qualities

Identity

Identity is how we view ourselves. Role models are a significant factor in the development of a positive identity. It is important that children take time to explore what makes up their identity and being proud of a range of traits that include character and personality ethic. Parents and teachers are significant role models for children. The Dove Legacy advertisement is a powerful example of how body dissatisfaction in parents can have a negative influence on children. Four strategies to encourage positive self-image are listed below:

• Keep appearance in perspective
• Avoid talking about your weight as it influences how children feel
• Teach children how to change the topic when the emphasis is on appearance
• Teach children to talk positively about their appearance

In a digital age, what is real and what is digitally manipulated is blurred. Our society is obsessed with thinness, but this does not need to be the path for our children.