Self-Image, Changing the Looking Glass

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Recommended: Past portrayals of youth in media

Self-Image – Changing the Looking Glass
The young girl sat on her bed and thought, “If I could just be taller, skinnier, if my hair was longer, my nose smaller, my legs slimmer, I know they would like me!” This discussion takes place with each girl or boy at different times in their lives. Depending on their environment, it can take place when they are five, fifteen or 25. Positively or negatively, developing a child’s self-esteem will affect the way they live, grow and learn. The Centers for Disease Control report:
One of the leading causes of death among teenagers is suicide. It is the third leading cause of death behind accidents and homicide of people 15 – 24. Even more disturbing is the fact that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for children between the ages of 10 and 14. (Statistics)
Magazines, movies, models and the media have over exaggerated the acceptable body image and therefore push teenagers every day to think they are fat and ugly leading to them to have a poor self-image, depression and even death.
In the poem Barbie Doll, by Marge Piercy, the young girl begins her life as an ordinary little girl with dolls, toys and pink lipstick until someone in her class tells her that she has a big nose and fat legs. This compares to so many little girls and boys. We are all born perfect in our own eyes until someone changes that point of view. Children and teenagers are so cruel. They are the first to point out when someone is different, but how do they know that they are different? It is a learned behavior. Dr. Gary Direnfeld speaks to a mother of a 7 year old girl who thinks she is “fat”. His first thought is of her friends and if possibly she is being bullied by them. Then he continues on with suggestions of w...

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...that can be warning signs that someone you know and love could be contemplating suicide.

Works Cited

Direnfeld, Gary. "BE CALM AND CONFIDENT DISCUSSING BODY IMAGE WITH DAUGHTER.". 13 March 2013. Hamilton Spectator. 27 March 2014 .
News, ABC Premium. ""Group Mulls Media Curbs To Tackle Negative Body Image."." n.d.
Piercy, Marge. Barbie Doll. Peason, 1973.
Statistics, Teen Suicide. Teen Suicide Statistics. 27 March 2014. 27 March 2014 .
Yadegaran, Jessica. Thigh gap: What's behind a dangerous teen body image obsession. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. Walnut Creek, CA: Contra Costa Times , 2013.

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