Why is Media Literacy crucial to maintaining a healthy Body Image?

The world of social media is different from your off line life and the number of “likes” you get on a post is not a barometer for how liked you are in real life.

Online community vs real friends : There is a BIG difference.

• Platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are the worst for impacting mental health.

• People report feeling bad about themselves after spending too much time on them.

• The visual imagery we are bombarded with is often the highlight reel of people’s lives, not their actual reality and what they do “ behind the scenes”

• Be mindful of what you watch and how you consume MEDIA. Have periods when you UNPLUG.

• Have REAL conversations. Talk to girls about beauty ideals, analyze pictures, learn about airbrushing and photoshopping techniques.

Talk about how beauty/diet industries are heavily marketed and by pushing their products, contribute to making women feel insecure so that they will buy more. A new lipstick is always fun but be mindful

Choose the people you follow wisely - I cannot stress this enough.

• Do they make you feel good about yourself and your body? Do they inspire you and make you feel positive and happy?

• Or do you find that you constantly compare yourself to them and criticize yourself for not looking a certain way, like they do.

• Don’t forget most of the time even they don’t look like they do. :)

How do you recognize signs of negative Body Image in yourself or others? How do you support someone displaying those signs?

Let’s remember that we all have an element of a distorted view of our bodies as well as complicated relationships with food.

All of the following are “normal” to a certain degree:

-Experiencing body dissatisfaction, being preoccupied with body weight, shape or appearance

-Struggling with feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem and/or disordered eating due to body dissatisfaction

-Having shame, anxiety, and self-consciousness about your body

-Frequently comparing your body to others and feeling that your body is flawed

RED FLAGS are:

-Obsession with body size and shape

-Extreme weight loss

-Refusal to eat, denial of hunger even when starving

-Labeling foods as good or bad. 

-Fixate on eating foods that give a feeling of being healthy

-Obsessively going to the gym

How to support:

-The most important thing is to Notice changes in behaviour

-Begin conversations if you see someone is not him/herself 

-Build self-esteem and confidence; there is more to being a human than what you look like

-Celebrate diverse shapes and individuality

-Praise the actions of the body not the appearance, function OVER form

-Take the focus off numbers on a scale - encourage balance between healthy eating and exercise

-Talk about Appetite awareness

• Practice intuitive eating: I like to call it appetite awareness, being mindful and listening to hunger cues letting us know to eat when we are hungry and stop when we are full

• Notice emotional eating which happens when we are not able to confront certain feelings so we eat instead: am I hungry for food or do I need something else?

• Watch your language - avoid labeling foods as “good vs. naughty”  and talking about “what to avoid”. Aim for balance and moderation.